Lowering pesticide use in vineyards over a 10-year period did not reduce yield or work intensity
Résumé
Pesticides remain the most efficient way to control pest and disease pressure in vineyards and obtain satisfactory
yields in terms of quality and quantity. However, because of the harmful effects of pesticides on human health
and the environment, winegrowers have had to change their practices. To reduce pesticide use, winegrowers
have a range of levers at their disposal that are implemented at different spatial and temporal scales and with
different intensities of change. Beyond simply reducing pesticide use, these changes can also impact farms’
economic and social performances notably because vine is a perennial crop with inertia in the impacts of changes
operated. In this work, we assessed the covariation between various performances with time. We used the
Agrosyst database, which compiles data on the performances of French vineyard cropping systems engaged in a
pesticide reduction process for the past 10 years, implementing a reduction of 34%. Based on existing knowledge
on transition processes and pesticide reduction in vineyards, we used partial least squares path modelling (PLSPM)
to assess the dynamic trade-offs between different performances during the pesticide use reduction process.
We verified the model we built (GoF = 0.44) and found no significant correlation between pesticide reduction,
economic performances (operating costs and fuel consumption), technical performance (mechanical work time)
or productivity (yield). Interestingly, we did not observe any effect from reducing fungicides on yield. We only
noticed a significant correlation between the initial weed control strategy and the change in weed control
strategy (β = 0.18). Furthermore, stopping herbicide use did not affect mechanical work time or costs. Our results
are encouraging in terms of maintaining both agronomic and economic performances when reducing pesticides
in vineyards.
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