Reducing pesticide use in viticulture

Published on 10/09/2015

ProVino project highlighted during IVV's traditional visit to the vineyards

Last Tuesday, on September 8^th, 2015, was held in Remich the traditional visit of the vineyards organised annually by the Luxembourg Institut viti-vinicole (IVV). Representatives of about fifty companies and institutions of the wine sector responded to the invitation and visited the experimental vineyards of the wine institute. The programme highlighted the research project "ProVino", which is conducted in collaboration between the IVV and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). The ProVino project aims at reducing pesticide use in viticulture. Currently, the work focuses on:

the spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), a vinegar fly which appeared last year for the first time in the region and causing significant damage, especially on early-ripening red varieties,
the reduction of pesticides by using grape varieties with reduced sensitivity to fungal pathogens,
the timing for botryticide use,
the effectiveness of combined crop cultural measures to prevent bunch rot.