Beneath the Vines: The Loire Valley Living Lab Opens Up the Soil

On 9 April, the Loire Valley and Beaujolais Living Lab invited growers, researchers, and agricultural professionals to spend a morning in the vineyard for an open field event at one of the Living Lab’s experimental sites in the Loire Valley. This event was a direct encounter with the soil itself, led by a soil scientist, with tools and techniques that many participants had never seen in action before.

Reading the Soil, Layer by Layer

The session opened with soil coring, where a team member carried out the exercise manually using an auger in the middle of the vineyard plot. Layer by layer, the process revealed how the soil is structured, how organic matter changes with depth, and where the geological parent material begins to take over. It also exposed a key agronomic challenge at this site: a bedrock rich in chlorite that, as it weathers, releases large quantities of magnesium. This creates a nutritional imbalance in the vine, as magnesium and potassium compete for absorption.

For many participants, seeing these layers in person made abstract soil science suddenly concrete, helping to understand what lies beneath the vine is essential for informed decisions about management, irrigation, and nutrition. At a drought-sensitive site, knowing where water is stored and how roots access is the foundation of every agronomic choice.

A Scanner Beneath the Surface

Alongside the soil coring, the session introduced participants to a technology new to many vineyards: the Scanorhizes scanner, developed by the French company. The device was installed in the plot the day before the event and a company representative attended the event to explain how it works and why it matters.

Unlike traditional soil observation methods, the Scanorhizes scanner is a fixed device installed directly in the field. It captures images automatically and continuously, without requiring human intervention beyond occasional battery replacement. The scanner monitors soil biological dynamics over time, tracking root activity, mesofauna, microfauna, and the presence of mycorrhizae.

At this early stage, no results were yet available, as the device had only just arrived on site. However, the objective was clear: to give participants a firsthand understanding of the technology and its potential. Researchers placed sensors in each experimental treatment and , over time, they will compare biological dynamics between plots and identify differences in soil life linked to different management practices. Since this is still an experimental system, part of the goal will be to assess, at the end of the trial, how valuable this technology proves to be for monitoring soil life in real vineyard conditions.

Management Practices and the Questions They Raise

The open field session also gave participants the chance to explore the management practices the team is testing at the experimental site. The focus covered two approaches: cover cropping and the application of mycorrhizae. Both aim to improve soil structure, enhance water infiltration, and increase moisture retention at a site particularly sensitive to drought.

Both topics generated lively discussion. The vineyard manager engaged directly with participants, answering questions about plot management and cropping history. The choice of rootstock sparked considerable debate, however, reflecting the depth of agronomic knowledge among those present.

Yet it was the soil science itself that drew the greatest interest. Many participants came specifically to engage with the soil scientist and deepen their understanding of how to read and interpret soils in a viticulture context. This response confirmed something the LivingSoiLL project has observed repeatedly across its Living Labs: when farmers and growers see the soil opened up in front of them and have an expert on hand to explain it, the conversation that follows is rich, practical, and deeply engaged.

Seeing Is Understanding

The open field format of the 9 April event reflects a broader philosophy within the LivingSoiLL project. Science becomes more powerful when it is visible, accessible, and directly connected to the land farmers manage every day. By opening the soil, presenting new monitoring technologies, and inviting genuine dialogue between researchers and practitioners, the Loire Valley and Beaujolais Living Lab is doing exactly what the project set out to do: turning soil health from an abstract concept into something tangible, observable, and actionable.

A previous gathering was held, on 18 March, at Loire Valley and Beaujolais Living Lab’s experimental sites in the Beaujolais region, bringing together winegrowers and viticulture technicians. Read the full article here.