Page 64 - Grapevine JanFeb 2022

Around The Vineyard

rotating fungicides with different FRAC groups, but because they are adapted to this natural way of
in some cases, that is not enough. Using an organ- farming.
ic broad spectrum contact fungicide mixed with a
conventional fungicide that has the potential to Vadon from BioSafe said, “Many organic pesti-
develop resistance, strengthens spray programs by cides require more frequent applications to stay
killing resistant and nonresistant organisms, thus ahead of common pests found in the vineyards. If
reducing the chance for further mutational resis- a vineyard has high mildew pressure and has not
tance to develop.” been sprayed for an extended period, some organ-
ic fungicides might not be able to manage to an
Challenges of acceptable level where others could.”
Sustainability in the Vineyard
Vadon also said that knowing a product’s strength,
However, many vineyard owners are concerned such as being broad spectrum, and limitations, such
about whether sustainability measures will require as no residuals, is important for knowing how it fits
more ongoing maintenance and upkeep, if they will into your vineyard’s program.
be more time-consuming and whether the payoff
will really be worth it in the end. Little from Acadian pointed out that there are so
many products on the market now that make a lot
Winkler from Traditional & Biodynamic Vineyard of different claims, so it is nearly impossible to dif-
Consulting said that the biggest challenges in tran- ferentiate between products that are effective or
sitioning vineyards to organic, regenerative and not. To address this issue, she recommends looking
biodynamic farming are bringing life back into the for data from real and replicated research, peer-re-
soil and subsoil and promoting vine roots to grow viewed science and on-farm demonstrations.
deeper to access nutrients and water.
“Consistency of biological products can be anoth-
“The transition period can be stressful on vines er challenge,” said Little. “Natural products have
because conventional vineyards are often addicted an inherent variability, and not all manufacturing
to synthetic fertilizers,” Winkler said. “Weening methods account for this. Ideally, a manufacturer
plants off of fertilizers takes time. The vines must can show consistency in physical characteristics and
be reeducated into becoming more independent.” bioefficacy over manufacturing times and years.
Acadian® Organic and Stella Maris® Organic have
Winkler said that establishing an organic and been through rigorous quality assurance, and the
biodynamic vineyard from scratch is much easier consistency of our products is of the utmost impor-
because getting started in this way from the begin- tance to Acadian Plant Health™.”
ning allows the vines to thrive in their environment

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