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J'accuse: Organic Viticulture
- Thread starter Ian Fitzsimmons
- Start date
David Erickson
David Erickson
Schaphoidus littoralis has been in France since the 1950s--an invader from America. Vine monoculture encourages the little critters. There is an organic spray, rotenone, but it isn't very effective. Gerard Gauby sprays with homemade herb teas that don't kill the leafhopper but encourage it to leave the premises. I expect he's not the only one, but I don't really know.
Which apparently leaves chemical spraying as the only "official" option.
I wonder how many certified biodynamic vineyards will lose their certification as a result?
One expects Giboulot to be condemned in the same spirit that parents who refuse to give their children inoculations are, but I hope some anger is also directed at the French Ministry of Agriculture, which has known about this problem for 40 years and done zero serious research on prevention.
(Much of the above cribbed from Monty Waldin, YMMV, etc.)
edited with thanks.
Which apparently leaves chemical spraying as the only "official" option.
I wonder how many certified biodynamic vineyards will lose their certification as a result?
One expects Giboulot to be condemned in the same spirit that parents who refuse to give their children inoculations are, but I hope some anger is also directed at the French Ministry of Agriculture, which has known about this problem for 40 years and done zero serious research on prevention.
(Much of the above cribbed from Monty Waldin, YMMV, etc.)
edited with thanks.
originally posted by David Erickson:
Which leaves chemical spraying as the only option.
I love absolute statements like this.
I find this case very hard to evaluate. How effective is the treatment? How vulnerable are the neighbors if you don't treat? How good are any alternatives?
It's hard for me to know where my sympathies should lie. If you have a really contagious disease with an effective therapy, well, maybe you should suck it up.
But if you have a rare sporadic thing with a treatment that doesn't get the job done, then maybe it's another story.
If you are in Napa and the glassy-winged sharpshooters are on your land, and you don't want to spray, you could find yourself pretty unpopular with the neighbors.
Anyhow, I could go either way on this one.
The disease is real. Coincidentally, LDM reports that Nadia Verrua of Cascina Tavijn has had to replant entirely after an infestation of this.
It's hard for me to know where my sympathies should lie. If you have a really contagious disease with an effective therapy, well, maybe you should suck it up.
But if you have a rare sporadic thing with a treatment that doesn't get the job done, then maybe it's another story.
If you are in Napa and the glassy-winged sharpshooters are on your land, and you don't want to spray, you could find yourself pretty unpopular with the neighbors.
Anyhow, I could go either way on this one.
The disease is real. Coincidentally, LDM reports that Nadia Verrua of Cascina Tavijn has had to replant entirely after an infestation of this.
- the disease is hitting badly a lot of vineyards but not Cote d'Or yet.
- Pyrethrum is "organic" and effective against it but is a wide sprectrum insecticide.
- There is no specific pesticide for grape leafhopper, either "organic" or conventional
- there might be effective alternative methods (especially traps) but no one from state agencies such as INRA wants to investigate since pyrethrum is effective (so far...)
- I really don't know what I would do if flavescence would hit my vineyards at this point.
- I'd rather spray some chemical shit proven specific against grape leafhopper than pyrethrum. It took me years to bring back life in my vineyards and it would a real pain to eradicate it myself.
A true dilemma.
- Pyrethrum is "organic" and effective against it but is a wide sprectrum insecticide.
- There is no specific pesticide for grape leafhopper, either "organic" or conventional
- there might be effective alternative methods (especially traps) but no one from state agencies such as INRA wants to investigate since pyrethrum is effective (so far...)
- I really don't know what I would do if flavescence would hit my vineyards at this point.
- I'd rather spray some chemical shit proven specific against grape leafhopper than pyrethrum. It took me years to bring back life in my vineyards and it would a real pain to eradicate it myself.
A true dilemma.
David Erickson
David Erickson
originally posted by Brian C:
originally posted by David Erickson:
Which leaves chemical spraying as the only option.
I love absolute statements like this.
My mistake. Edited, thanks.
I feel for the OG growers on this one. Sure, of course the option to spray should be one the grower has. Its the state mandate to spray that strikes me as particularly offensive.originally posted by Brézème:
- the disease is hitting badly a lot of vineyards but not Cote d'Or yet.
- Pyrethrum is "organic" and effective against it but is a wide sprectrum insecticide.
- There is no specific pesticide for grape leafhopper, either "organic" or conventional
- there might be effective alternative methods (especially traps) but no one from state agencies such as INRA wants to investigate since pyrethrum is effective (so far...)
- I really don't know what I would do if flavescence would hit my vineyards at this point.
- I'd rather spray some chemical shit proven specific against grape leafhopper than pyrethrum. It took me years to bring back life in my vineyards and it would a real pain to eradicate it myself.
A true dilemma.
Its a lose/lose scenario for the ecologically minded vigneron.
Chemical/industrial biologically dead agricultural system leads to conditions that favor large scale insect oubreaks...outbreak happens...industry finds effective chemical control...organic vignerons (whose more biologically diverse systems are probably more resilient to widespread outbreaks in the first place) who don't get with the band aid "solution" are labeled as heretics and compared to non-immunizing parents.
Shitty all around.
If the growers are willing to take the risk they should be able to. If the chemical control is effective those who spray shouldn't have to worry about their neighbors. Hell they might even learn something interesting by watching them.
Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
That's what the no-shots parents say, too. Gotta be very careful how you marshal your arguments.originally posted by Brian C:
If the growers are willing to take the risk they should be able to.