Design and assessment of new low-input viticulture systems

Abstract

EU and France have decided for their agricultural policy in the next years to drastically reduce inputs and especially pesticides use before 2018. According to the high sensitivity of vineyard systems to pathogens, application of EU policy to vineyards implies to re-design vineyard perennial systems including innovations relies rather on interactions management than on new techniques. The new designed systems have then to be assessed to be sure that they are sustainable and can be implemented by wine growers. The aims of the national program are to first re-design and experiment vineyard systems and then assess the sustainability of these systems according to the French regional conditions (fig. 1).

The methodology framework of designing the new systems has been initiated in the Ecoviti project (ecoviti.vignevin.com) and is detailed in literature (Lançon et al., 2007; Metral et al., 2012). Assessment of the systems addresses the three dimensions of sustainability, environmental, social and economic. Environmental assessing methods chosen are Life Cycle Analysis (Renaud et al., 2010) and INDIGO^® (Bockstaller et al., 1997; Thiollet, 2003). Agricultural, social and economical assessment is carried out with descriptive analysis.

26 vineyards sites are involved in the program and are organised to work in a network.  The network started in 2012 and included experimental plots in Loire valley, South-West (i.e. Cognac, Bordeaux and Armagnac vineyards), Mediterranean (i.e. Languedoc, Rhône valley and Provence) and in North-East (i.e Alsace and Champagne) vineyards. Research program is due to be performed with system experiment platforms in those 9 regions producing wine. Planting new vine varieties that are resistant to pathogens is under process in Alsace, Bordeaux and Loire vineyards. A united database is about to be performed to make easier the assessment of designed systems during 6 years. First results of design of vineyard systems will be presented during this symposium.