Practical Manual for Vineyard Protection | André Crespy

In the village, not so long ago, the first person to bring out their sprayer to treat the vines in the spring would trigger a kind of "phytosanitary frenzy." All the other winemakers would follow suit and immediately apply a treatment. The vineyard would thus change from a light green to a Prussian blue within 48 hours. Amidst the crises of oversupply, award-winning uprooting, and general weariness, the cooperative closed down, and the three or four winemakers who continue as best they can only bring out the sprayer in cases of absolute necessity: the products are expensive, and the income is quickly swallowed up. Next to this almost general situation in Languedoc but gradually spreading to other major appellations, wealthier vineyards continue to generously spray their grapes without much concern for the environment. The recent environmental summit reminded us of the sorry state of our groundwater, rivers, and even our coastal waters: in Brittany, people swim in a seaweed soup, and in the Mediterranean, in an herbicide infusion. Resolutions have been made, objectives have been set, including the rapid and significant reduction in the amount of pesticides used in viticulture. Furthermore, the government has decided to disengage from agricultural warnings. In this context, understanding the evolution of diseases and pests through the observation of meteorological events becomes a necessity for everyone, and preventive measures, long neglected, must be implemented to respect the environment as much as possible. We hope that this little work will contribute to this.