- Location
- U.K.
Correlation
xkcd.com
I also think it is fairly easy to blind taste the difference between say a tesco banana and an organic one, or dole vs dole organic.
I don't tend to buy organic across the board, only for some items.
Correlation
xkcd.com
In this particular section of the vineyard it's quite close to the main road and there is a decent sized path behind so they probably do it by hand. However as you go up and/or across the slope you'd definitely have to use the helicopter. It's pretty small apparently. We also did see another vineyard which is only accessible by boat!There's no way a helicopter could aim weedkiller that precisely. Maybe a small drone, though...
I’m amazed that the application of any type of pesticide is allowed by helicopter. The amount of product ending up where it’s not intended must be very significant.In this particular section of the vineyard it's quite close to the main road and there is a decent sized path behind so they probably do it by hand. However as you go up and/or across the slope you'd definitely have to use the helicopter. It's pretty small apparently. We also did see another vineyard which is only accessible by boat!
I used the term pesticide to include insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. New thinking is that fungicides might be the most environmentally harmful of all the plant protection products, not the most benign as is a popular concept. Fungi are probably the most essential part any ecosystem.It seems pesticide spraying by helicopter has stopped a while ago, just fungicides now.
Some relevant sources.
Organic Spraying in the Mosel Valley – Lars Carlberg: Mosel Wine
An online guide to the wines of the Mosel, Saar, and Ruwer, with in-depth producer profiles and articles, as well as an extensive glossary of terms.www.larscarlberg.com
I'll try and find out some more info!I’m amazed that the application of any type of pesticide is allowed by helicopter. The amount of product ending up where it’s not intended must be very significant.
I used the term pesticide to include insecticides, herbicides and fungicides. New thinking is that fungicides might be the most environmentally harmful of all the plant protection products, not the most benign as is a popular concept. Fungi are probably the most essential part any ecosystem.
This book below is a good read.
View attachment 25359
In a dry climate weeds are a significant competitor for nutrients and water. I have used a mown undervine to reduce vine vigour. There is no need to cultivate midrow other than to level the surface. Weeds growing up into the canopy is never desirable. Depending on the cordon height tall weed stands in general reduce airflow and can condribute significantly to increasing canopy humidity, leading to fungal issues. Drone mowing technology will be a game changer in the next 20 yearsI don’t understand why herbicides are needed in a vineyard. Mowing between the rows surely suffices.
There are of course many organic certified and uncertified producers who use little or no copper, preferring nettles, milk and a host of other treatments. So it's not the only thing they can use. How effective or cost effective it is is perhaps a different question, but then they are not generally farming on an industrial scale.Copper Sulphate is the bugbear of organic viticulture because it is the only effective fungicide permitted against downy mildew, a very serious threat. People supporting organics may state that lower amounts are permitted for organic certification but the elephant in the room is that copper sulphate is the only thing they can use, so they have to use it.
Nettles, milk, mandrake root and other potions found in the works of JK Rowling don't work. That's why organic and biodynamic growers rely on copper to protect their vines from mildew. If those things worked, they would be commercialised by the agro-chemical companies.There are of course many organic certified and uncertified producers who use little or no copper, preferring nettles, milk and a host of other treatments. So it's not the only thing they can use. How effective or cost effective it is is perhaps a different question, but then they are not generally farming on an industrial scale.
Roundup would be sprayed by hand with a backpack in the same way as municipal workers might do to remove weeds on streets. It needs to be applied "carefully" so as to kill the weeds/grass but not the vines. Interestingly, my local Borough Council (Waltham Forest) stopped the use of all roundup by their Street teams from last year and asked residents to assist with manually removing them. A great policy, IMO.I cannot imagine anyone in a vineyard spraying herbicide by a helicopter, fungicide maybe.
The issue with organics is that it is exclusionary. A bit like advocating the use of sulfa drugs, when modern alternatives are more effective.
I'd be astonished if herbicide was sprayed by helicopter.In this particular section of the vineyard it's quite close to the main road and there is a decent sized path behind so they probably do it by hand. However as you go up and/or across the slope you'd definitely have to use the helicopter. It's pretty small apparently. We also did see another vineyard which is only accessible by boat!