Soil erosion can cause a progressive degradation of hillslopes, especially in steep-slope agricultural landscapes. In this study, the formation of spatial erosion patterns was evaluated in three typical steep-slope vineyard cultivation practices in northern Italy: dry-stone wall terraces, earth bank terraces and vertical cultivation (Italian: rittochino). UAV surveys in three vineyards provided high-resolution data on topography and land use serving as input for two GIS-based erosion models: the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and SIMulated Water Erosion model (SIMWE). Annual RUSLE simulations showed how the two terracing practices (i.e. dry-stone walls and earth banks) effectively safeguarded large areas from soil loss, whereas the non-terraced vertical cultivation produced widely distributed soil loss with increasing severity according to slope length and steepness. In intense single-event conditions simulated by SIMWE, all three practices showed the formation of critical preferential surface flow patterns, corresponding to several field-observed erosion patterns (piping of stone walls, landslides on earth banks, and rill erosion in the non-terraced vineyard), while also in this case showing the highest erosion rates for the non-terraced vertical cultivation. Simulated flow concentration was strongly determined by the spatial organisation of the hillslope, roads and vines, and several strategies were discussed for erosion mitigation (including drainage systems or enhanced soil cover). Furthermore, the results indicated that SIMWE is an optimal approach for the recognition of soil erosion processes occurring during intense rainfall conditions. This study provides an example of high-resolution erosion risk evaluation, which should play a crucial role in the design and management of steep-slope vineyards.

水土流失会导致山坡逐渐退化，特别是在陡坡农业景观中。在这项研究中，通过意大利北部的三种典型的陡坡葡萄园栽培实践对空间侵蚀模式的形成进行了评估：干石墙阶地，土堤阶地和垂直栽培（意大利语：rittochino）。在三个葡萄园中进行的无人机调查提供了有关地形和土地利用的高分辨率数据，作为两个基于GIS的侵蚀模型的输入：修订的通用土壤流失方程（RUSLE）和模拟水蚀模型（SIMWE）。年度RUSLE模拟表明，两种梯田做法（即干石墙和土堤）如何有效地保护大面积地区免受土壤流失的影响，而非梯田垂直耕作则产生了分布广泛的土壤流失，其严重程度根据坡度和坡度而增加。在SIMWE模拟的强烈单事件条件下，这三种做法均显示出临界优先表面流型的形成，对应于几种现场观察到的侵蚀模式（石墙管道，土堤上的滑坡和非梯田的河道侵蚀）葡萄园），同时在这种情况下，非梯田垂直耕作的侵蚀速率最高。模拟的流量集中度主要由山坡，道路和藤蔓的空间组织决定，并讨论了几种缓解侵蚀的策略（包括排水系统或增强的土壤覆盖率）。此外，结果表明SIMWE是识别强降雨条件下发生的土壤侵蚀过程的最佳方法。这项研究提供了一个高分辨率侵蚀风险评估的例子，该评估应在陡坡葡萄园的设计和管理中发挥关键作用。并讨论了缓解侵蚀的几种策略（包括排水系统或增强的土壤覆盖率）。此外，结果表明SIMWE是识别强降雨条件下发生的土壤侵蚀过程的最佳方法。这项研究提供了一个高分辨率侵蚀风险评估的例子，该评估应在陡坡葡萄园的设计和管理中发挥关键作用。并讨论了缓解侵蚀的几种策略（包括排水系统或增强的土壤覆盖率）。此外，结果表明SIMWE是识别强降雨条件下发生的土壤侵蚀过程的最佳方法。这项研究提供了一个高分辨率侵蚀风险评估的例子，该评估应在陡坡葡萄园的设计和管理中发挥关键作用。