Reducing the drift of Phytopharmaceutical Products (PPP) is one of the components of the overall reduction in the impact of PPP in viticulture. The stakes are social, environmental and economic. These major concerns are now being taken into account by the public authorities via the ECOPHYTO II plan and by winegrowers, manufacturers and consumers to protect the environment and the population living near vineyards.
The aim is to produce in a controlled way to guarantee harvests by ensuring the health of the plots while limiting or even eliminating environmental impacts, particularly in the air.
There are 3 agronomic strategies for reducing the impact of PPPs on the environment, spread over 3 different timeframes: prophylaxis, observation and reasoning in time T and decision-making, which leads to a change in the choice of technical itinerary initially planned for the plot. However, these methods will not be sufficient without the 4th approach: high-performance equipment in good working order and properly adjusted.
Prophylaxis is the set of methods used to anticipate the appearance of pests and diseases. In viticulture, the proliferation of a large number of bio-aggressors can be considerably reduced by anticipating vine cultivation methods according to a calendar based on their reproduction cycles. Actions such as leaf thinning, de-stemming, debudding and pruning to control vine vigour are therefore part of a prophylactic approach. Avoiding wet areas by draining the soil also helps to limit the risk of contamination.
The technical crop itinerary can be modified according to the observations, so it is possible to reduce PPP doses, replace them with biological products or replace them with techniques that avoid the use of herbicides.
In short, all these agronomic measures help to limit the size of infestation populations, reduce the intensity of epidemics and the number of pathogenic fungi, thereby helping to modulate the risk of resistance.
First and foremost, to limit drift, it is necessary to eliminate its origin, the losses from the sprayer that cause it. Above all, to ensure a quality treatment, it is important to have a treatment device in good working order (I.E. of the technical inspection), to adjust it properly to the different configurations of the plots and grape varieties.
That’s why BLISS downsprays have been specifically designed to provide the conditions for successful vineyard protection while respecting the environment.
BLISS Ecospray optimises treatment efficiency by transforming your sprayer into a high-performance device (whether towed, mounted or on a high-clearance tractor) by adapting high-performance, new-generation “face-by-face” aeroconfined spray pipes.
BLISS Ecospray face-by-face downspouts operate with a laminar air barrier blowing at a speed of >240km/h. They limit drift by eliminating losses at source, with less than 1% loss to the air and less than 5% loss to the ground. They also ensure the health safety of your plots, with over 50% of PPP applied in the heart of the vegetation.
Lightweight, robust and easy to use, they are compatible with most existing vehicles (Bobard 1049, Jaguar CMC, Sprayer IDEAL, Berthoud, etc.).
Produced by BLISS Ecospray, they will be available from June 2022.
