4. Approaches to Grape Growing

Question 1

What is main aim of organic viticulture (2)?

Answer 1

• Seeks to improve the soil of the vineyard and range of microbes and animals in it and thereby increase the health and disease-resistance of the vine
• Rejects manmade fertilizers, chemicals, etc.

Question 2

What methods do organic grape growers use to protect vines from downy and powdery mildew (2)?

What is a major disadvantage of this method?

Answer 2

• Traditional remedies e.g. sulfur and copper sulfate sprays.
• Close monitoring of weather to determine when spraying is necessary.

Spraying can lead to build-up of heavy metal (copper) in soil = some believe that careful usage of longer-lasting synthetic fungicides are less harmful to the environment.

Question 3

What are advantages of conventional viticulture (3)?

Answer 3

• Ability to mechanise work
• Reduction of competition from other plants
• Ability to tend to specific needs to grape variety planted (e.g. irrigation, nutrition level, pests, diseases)

Question 4

What are advantages of sustainable viticulture (4)?

Answer 4

• More thoughtful approach to grape growing, with attention to the 3 themes (ECON / SOC / ENVIRON impact)
• Reduction in spraying synthetic treatments = healthier soil + land.
• Saved cost from reduction of sprayings
• A better understanding of the threats to successful grape growing to minimize interventions needed

Question 5

What are disadvantages of sustainable viticulture?

Provide a specific example where this has been an issue:

Answer 5

• The term isn’t protected = no clear set of standards.
• Lack of regulations can = danger that nationwide standards can be set too low
  e. g. NZ’s Sustainable Winegrowing program has been both praised for greatly reducing pesticide use but also criticized for setting a very low bar for certification.

Question 6

What is the main aim of conventional viticulture?

How is this achieved?

Answer 6

Main aim is maximizing profit by raising production levels and reducing labour requirements.

• achieved through mechanization, chemical inputs, irrigation and clonal selection

Question 7

What is IFOAM?

What must a vineyard undergo before reaching certification?

Answer 7

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.

A universal requirement of producers wishing to achieve organic certification is a period of conversion working to organic standards.

Question 8

What is “green manure?”

Answer 8

Green Manure is the ploughing/mulching of cover crops into the soil in order to provide organic matter and serve as a natural source of fertilizer.

Question 9

Explain what “ashing” is, in the context of Biodynamic Viticulture:

Answer 9

• Spreading the ashes of burnt weed seeds or harmful pests (e.g. rats/sparrows) on the vineyards to ward off these hazards.

Question 10

What are the 2 ways in which data is collected for Precision Viticulture?

What types of technology allow the data to be presented visually in the form of maps (2)?

Answer 10

Data is collected by sensors either on

1) Aircraft (“Remote”) or 2) Tractor/harvester (“Proximal”)

Geospatial technology (e.g. GPS or Geographical Information Systems (GIS)) is used to create maps.

Question 11

What is precision viticulture?

What end result is it trying to achieve?

Answer 11

• Instead of adopting a uniform approach to work in the vineyard, Precision Agriculture makes use of data collected in vineyard (soil, vigour, topography, plant growth, etc.) to respond to changes from plot to plot and row to row.
• Aim is to produce best quality + yield possible by carrying out key interventions (e.g. pruning / leaf removal / treatments / irrigation / crop thinning / harvesting) as precisely as possible.

Question 12

What are advantages of organic viticulture (3)?

Answer 12

• Makes health and disease resistance of vine/soil the central aim
• Reduction in chemicals used = saved cost
• Reduction in chemical / synthetic sprays reduces environmental impact

Question 13

What are the advantages (3) and disadvantages (2) of Precision Viticulture?

Answer 13

ADV: - detailed understanding of vineyard variations that affect yield/quality.

• ability to tailor key interventions (rootstock, canopy management, treatments, harvest dates) = higher yield/quality.
• $$$ saved by reducing unneeded labor/treatments.

DIS: - initial investment required for equipment/software/labor is high.

• initial cost of remote data collection.

Question 14

Give a brief example and description of a Biodynamic “Preparation” and its purpose:

Answer 14

Preparation 500 (cow manure): Homeopathic compost created by stuffing cow manure into a cow’s horn, burying it in the soil over the winter, digging it up and then “dynamizing” it (mixing with water) so it can be sprayed.

Question 15

What are 3 examples of organizations that certify standards of Sustainable Agriculture?

Answer 15

• LODI RULES (Lodi, California)
• Sustainable Winegrowing NZ
• Sustainable Winegrowing South Africa

Question 16

Describe the philosophy of Integrated Pest Management.

How are grape growers advised to implement it (4)?

Also known as:

Answer 16

Also known as “lutte raisonée.”

Basic philosophy extends from Organic Agriculture i.e. eliminating pests without the use of chemical pesticides and using more sustainable, natural methods. ALTHOUGH chemical intervention will take place if necessary.

Grape growers are advised to:

• know when to look for a named pest (e.g. omnivorous leafroller)
• know what signs to look for
• use photos to identify the pest / its damage
• calculate thresholds to know when chem.s are needed

Question 17

Consider the economic costs (5)/benefits (5) of moving from conventional to organic viticulture :

Answer 17

COSTS:

• transitionary period required by IFOAM, conversion before certification.
• Certification = $$$, extra labor = $$$ and costs vary per country.
• Lower yields = loss of $$$
• If in a cooler, wetter climate, more maintenance/spraying required.
• Transporting bulky, heavy compost = $$$.

BENEFITS:

• Less $$$ for chemical sprays, mineral fertilizers.
• Warmer, drier climates are easier to manage in terms of disease pressure.
• Better health of soil and workers leads to less costs in the future.
• Better health/self-defence of vines = less disease pressure, less $$$ for preventative measures.
• Excellent marketing potential, promoting organic wine targets large consumer and market sector.

Question 18

What are the 4 key features of organic viticulture?

Answer 18

1) Application of compost (breaks down in soil providing slow release of nutrients)
2) Cover crops often used to prevent soil erosion and contribute to the improvement of the life of the soil.
3) Rejection of man-made, chemical fertilizers, fungicide, herbicides, pesticides. Natural products used instead (suffer/copper sprays, animal dung.)
4) Breaking out of a monoculture, encouraging biodiversity by planting other crops, raising animals, etc…

Question 19

Explain what “activating” is, in the context of Biodynamic agriculture (3):

Answer 19

• Biodynamic compost must first be “activated” before usage.
• The compost is activated by a series of “starters” added in tiny quantities (yarrow, chamomile, etc…) and prepared in various ways (e.g. in a deer’s bladder.)
• These additions assist with the decomposition of the compost.

Question 20

What are disadvantages of conventional viticulture (3)?

Answer 20

• Nutrients can be depleted and no natural ecosystem to replenish
• Residual chemicals find their way into the ground / water / air
• Monoculture = plants are more prone to diseases + pests = more treatments needed.

Question 21

Give 1 example each of Disease / Pest Management used by Organic farms that don’t involve chemical usage:

Answer 21

1) Usage of natural predators, e.g. the baterium Bacillus subtilis can be introduced = competes against Botrytis cinerea.
2) Sexual Confusion; pheromone tags/capsules used to disrupt mating patterns of insects = limits population.

Question 22

In the second half of the 20th C, what changes took place in agriculture to form the basis for what we know as Conventional Viticulture (5)?

Answer 22

• Mechanization / Chemicals / Irrigation / Clonal Selection
• Viticulture = Monoculture
• Weeds eliminated by ploughing btw/ rows and using herbicides
• Agrochemicals (pesticides / fungicides) increased significantly.
• Mineral fertilizers = increased production

Question 23

What prompted the general move from conventional viticulture to more sustainable methods (2)?

Answer 23

• By late 20thC, increasing realization that pesticides + mineral fertilizers were harmful to soil quality, environment, vineyard workers + consumer. They were also very expensive.
• These methods became worrisome to grape growers, consumers, legislators, sparking increasing efforts in major regions to reduce chemicals used + environmental impact.

Question 24

What are disadvantages of organic viticulture (4)?

Answer 24

• Possible small reduction in yield in normal vintages.
• Possible significant reduction in yield in difficult vintages (e.g. heavy rainfall / high humidity)
• Increased reliance on copper (which can lead to build up of heavy metals in soil)
• Cost and time on certification

Question 25

What are the 4 main options available to grape growers who want to reduce the overusage of harmful chemical input from Conventional Viticulture?

Answer 25

• Sustainable Viticulture
• Organic Viticulture
• Biodynamic Viticulture
• Precision Viticulture

Question 26

In sustainable viticulture, what does the grape grower do to lessen the potential economic impact of various vineyard problems (3)?

Answer 26

• Regular monitoring scale of potential problems w/intervention before threshold is met (i.e. when economic cost of damage is greater than cost of intervention).
• Anticipate problems, boost vine’s self-defence mechanisms, act at the most effective time.
• This limits damage to crops, reduces chemical used, saves on costs + deters plant’s resistance to chemicals.

Question 27

What is the leading certifying body for Biodynamic Agriculture in Europe?

Give examples of 3 prestigious producers that employ Biodynamic agriculture:

Answer 27

• Demeter
  1) Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (Burgundy)
  2) Zind-Humbrecht (Alsace)
  3) Stella di Campalto (Montalcino)

Question 28

Give a specific example in which the moon influences vineyard activities, as believed in Biodynamic agriculture.

Answer 28

e.g. when the moon is ASCENDING, a summer mood is evoked, sap is rising = a good time for taking cuttings for grafting but a bad time for pruning.

Question 29

What types of viticulture are appropriate options for Precision Viticulture (2)?

Why?

Where is it most widely used (2) and in what ways is it most effective (2)?

Other use?

Answer 29

• Only an option in large-scale viticulture or high value, smaller estates.
• This is due to considerable upfront investment (sensors/software)

Most widely used in Australia / California.

Most effective when used to systematically control treatment application rates / irrigation rates.

Also can be used to identify quality zones w/in the same vineyard.

Question 30

In regards to Precision Viticulture, what is VRAT (2)?

What are 2 examples of its application?

Answer 30

Variable-Rate Application Technology.

Targeted responses by grape-growers to significant differences from plot to plot / row to row in the same vineyard, in light of data collected.

e.g. changing the rootstock half way along rows of vine as soils get richer in nutrient / increasing levels of leaf-stripping in a high-vigor area.

Question 31

What are the 4 types of “days” according to the Biodynamic calendar?

What is the significance of the different days?

Answer 31

Fruit / Flower / Root / Leaf

These calendars advise grapegrowers as to which activities are best performed on certain types of day.

Question 32

What is biodynamic viticulture?

Who was it developed by?

Answer 32

• System of agriculture based on the work of Rudolph Steiner and Maria Thun.
• Includes organic practices but also incorporates philosophy and cosmology.
• Viticultural practices are adapted to coincide with the cycles of the planets, moon and stars.

Question 33

What are the 4 aims of sustainable viticulture?

What else is key?

What are its 3 main themes?

Answer 33

1) promoting natural ecosystems,
2) maintaining biodiversity,
3) managing waste,
4) minimizing chemicals
- IPM (Integrated Pest Management) is a key part of this
- 3 main themes: Economic / Social / Environmental

Question 34

Where is the world’s highest concentration of organically-farmed vineyards?

Answer 34

Europe overwhelmingly dominates the world’s proportion of organically farmed vineyards, encompassing 85% of all organic viticulture. The top countries participating are Spain (29%), Italy (25%) and France (21%.)