Sustainability of modern land terracing for vineyard plantation in a Mediterranean mountain environment – The case of the Priorat region (NE Spain)

Vineyard restructuring in the Priorat region of NE Spain has transformed both traditional vineyards and abandoned cultivated hillslopes into mechanized vineyards. These new terraced vineyards do not look sustainable under existing environmental conditions. A survey assessing the terrace design of the new mechanized vineyards was initiated a few months after crop establishment. Using a Geodimeter total station, vertical and horizontal intervals...