Seipasa, the Spanish company specialising in the development and formulation of biopesticides, biostimulants and fertilizers for agriculture, has presented new vineyard management strategies for the transformation towards an organic production model. The conference, held together with the Rueda D.O. Regulating Council at its headquarters in Rueda, Valladolid (Spain), brought together a group of leading wineries in the production of wine in Spain.
The event highlighted the changing trend of this sector in Spain, with some of the big wineries making progress towards an organic production model. The participants also highlighted the need for new tools to carry out this process successfully.
Juan Manuel López, Seipasa's Chief Marketing Officer, insisted on the importance of providing producers with new alternatives capable of effectively filling the gap created by the progressive disappearance of active ingredients available within the European Union.
López also dimensioned what he described as a "shift" in the sector towards an organic production model. He highlighted that the surface area of organic wine in Spain has doubled over the last decade to more than 106,000 hectares, or 11% of the total vineyard area.
Integrated strategies
Marta Muñoz, Seipasa's product development manager, referred to the company’s experience in integrated management strategies designed for its application in winemaking operations in Castilla León and Galicia, Spain, or in California, in the case of the United States, for the control of diseases such as powdery mildew and mildew.
In this sense, Muñoz compared the results of field experiences carried out exclusively with chemical synthesis products with purely organic and mixed management strategies developed by Seipasa with the application of its products.
"The results at the end of the campaign are very positive for vineyards that implement mixed control strategies, where chemical applications are considerably reduced (between 40 and 80%), the populations of beneficial insects are less affected and the amount of inoculum present for the following campaign is also lower", assured Marta Muñoz.
Seipasa's product development manager stated that "the transformation of the vineyard towards organic production strategies is a reality that allows producers to make differentiated wines with a high value in different markets".
"The integrated management strategies, prior to the definitive transformation into certified organic production, represent a competitive advantage for producers, who are beginning to see the positive results of the zero residues tools. These tools also allow them to progressively adapt to a new way of working", concluded Muñoz.
Marta Muñoz explained the mode of action and the advantages of Seipasa's catalogue of solutions within a strategy of zero residue production in vineyards. She referred to the biofungicides Septum and Basei 2C for the prevention and control of powdery mildew and mildew.
Seipasa's product development manager also referred to the new solutions that are in the process of obtaining the plant protection registration. In the coming months, the company expects to expand the registration of the bioinsecticide Pirecris for vineyard in Spain. The biofungicide Fungisei, registered in countries such as Peru, the United States, Morocco and Turkey, is in the same situation.