Copper is widely used in organic plant protection in horti- cultural crops. It is easy to use and effective against many fungal and bacterial diseases. However, the accumulation of copper in soil causes adverse conditions for beneficial or- ganisms. Furthermore, the useable amount is limited to 4 kg/ha/year (an average over seven years) in most European countries.
Solution
Plant health strategies that aim to reduce the current use of copper combine:
• Preventive measures: beginning with the vineyard's de-
sign and complemented with agrotechnical practices ap- plied throughout the year. If appropriate, use of disease- tolerant cultivars.
• Direct plant protection methods: including the applica- tion of copper alternatives.
Description
This practice abstract explains how reducing the use of copper helps to decrease the negative environmental impact and improves in the soil biodiversity, helping to keep beneficial organisms in the vineyard. It provides practical recommendations for preventing disease in new vineyards, and strategies for maintenance of the established vineyards. This tool is recommended for all vintners, conventional and organic, who are aiming at reducing their copper use.
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When you activate this function, your browser establishes a direct connection with the servers of the third-party provider. We would like to point out that data is transmitted to the third-party provider after activation, and the latter may set cookies that can also be used for analysis and marketing purposes. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.
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