Broad bean sowing has more than one benefit for the well-being of our vines.
The plant cover makes it possible not to leave the soil bare in winter and therefore to avoid the phenomenon of erosion.
Broad bean sowing promotes biological activity and brings nutrients to the soils. Thanks to a symbiosis with bacteria present in the soil, the board bean grasps the nitrogen from the air and transforms it into an element that can be assimilated by the plant. This symbiosis takes place in capsules called nodules, little white balls on the roots. These nodes are a place of exchange. The plant provides carbonaceous substances to the bacteria and the bacteria fixes and transforms atmospheric nitrogen to make this element assimilable by the plant. It’s a “win-win” combination. For our vines, this will constitute a natural fertilizer.
The broad bean plant cover is also a reservoir of biodiversity. Bees, ladybugs, … multiple organisms develop, both aerial and underground. We tend to see only biodiversity that is “problematic” (slugs, invasive plants, etc.) and we forget more easily the “useful” biodiversity. A living soil allows good decomposition of organic matter and good infiltration of water for crops.
The quality of our wines, the quality of our grapes and the quality of the environment, and therefore of biodiversity, everything is linked to one another and this is one of the key components of our terroirs.