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The grape that doesn’t fall ill: the genetic revolution that could cut pesticide use in vineyards by up to 90 per cent

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Spanish and European researchers are developing varieties resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew that promise to transform both organic and conventional viticulture in the years ahead The vineyard has a complicated relationship with chemical products. Although it represents barely 3 per cent of the world's agricultural surface area, the vine receives 20 per cent of all the fungicides applied across the entire planet. A disproportion that says a great deal about how vulnerable this plant is to fungal diseases and about the economic and environmental cost that vulnerability imposes on wine producers worldwide with every passing season. There is, however, a response that science has been developing for years and that is beginning to yield its first commercial results: the development of vine varieties that have genetically incorporated natural resistances to the most devastating diseases affecting the vineyard. The European GRAPEBREED4IPM project, in which the Basque technology centre NEIKER is participating, works specifically on varieties capable of holding their own against downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot and botrytis — the four major fungal threats that shape vineyard management throughout Europe. Preliminary results are promising. In more advanced projects such as VRIAC, developed in Catalonia, the introduction of resistant varieties has made it possible to reduce the use of copper and sulphur by more than 90 per cent, producing wines that are cleaner and carry a substantially lower environmental burden on the soil and the surrounding landscape. In the case of the European GrapeBreed4IPM project, estimates point to reductions of close to 20 per cent by the end of the programme, with long-term prospects suggesting cuts of up to 50 per cent under the most favourable conditions. In Spain, the most advanced studies are working with nine grape varieties — five white and four red — including Fleurtai, Soreli, Cabernet Eidos and Merlot Khorus. Preliminary findings are encouraging: some of these varieties display very high levels of tolerance to both powdery and downy mildew, which could translate into reductions of between 50 and 75 per cent in the use of plant protection products. The challenge facing the sector is twofold. On one hand, ensuring that these new varieties maintain the winemaking quality and the identity that consumers expect from their favourite wines. On the other, overcoming the regulatory and cultural reservations that in certain countries and appellations make it difficult to introduce non-traditional varieties. Germany, France and Switzerland have a head start on this journey: they already have on the market wines produced with zero phytosanitary treatments, made from resistant varieties, that are beginning to compete with conventional wines. Spain cannot afford to keep watching that process from the sidelines.

Spanish and European researchers are developing varieties resistant to downy mildew and powdery mildew that promise to transform both organic and conventional viticulture in the years ahead

The vineyard has a complicated relationship with chemical products. Although it represents barely 3 per cent of the world’s agricultural surface area, the vine receives 20 per cent of all the fungicides applied across the entire planet. A disproportion that says a great deal about how vulnerable this plant is to fungal diseases and about the economic and environmental cost that vulnerability imposes on wine producers worldwide with every passing season.

There is, however, a response that science has been developing for years and that is beginning to yield its first commercial results: the development of vine varieties that have genetically incorporated natural resistances to the most devastating diseases affecting the vineyard. The European GRAPEBREED4IPM project, in which the Basque technology centre NEIKER is participating, works specifically on varieties capable of holding their own against downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot and botrytis — the four major fungal threats that shape vineyard management throughout Europe.

Preliminary results are promising. In more advanced projects such as VRIAC, developed in Catalonia, the introduction of resistant varieties has made it possible to reduce the use of copper and sulphur by more than 90 per cent, producing wines that are cleaner and carry a substantially lower environmental burden on the soil and the surrounding landscape. In the case of the European GrapeBreed4IPM project, estimates point to reductions of close to 20 per cent by the end of the programme, with long-term prospects suggesting cuts of up to 50 per cent under the most favourable conditions.

In Spain, the most advanced studies are working with nine grape varieties — five white and four red — including Fleurtai, Soreli, Cabernet Eidos and Merlot Khorus. Preliminary findings are encouraging: some of these varieties display very high levels of tolerance to both powdery and downy mildew, which could translate into reductions of between 50 and 75 per cent in the use of plant protection products.

The challenge facing the sector is twofold. On one hand, ensuring that these new varieties maintain the winemaking quality and the identity that consumers expect from their favourite wines. On the other, overcoming the regulatory and cultural reservations that in certain countries and appellations make it difficult to introduce non-traditional varieties. Germany, France and Switzerland have a head start on this journey: they already have on the market wines produced with zero phytosanitary treatments, made from resistant varieties, that are beginning to compete with conventional wines. Spain cannot afford to keep watching that process from the sidelines.

Sobrelías Redacción

Sobrelías Redacción