IWRA Proceedings

AbstractHuman activities have been raising the concentration of greenhouse gases and, therefore, increasing global warming. Nearly 15 percent of these gas emissions come from agricultural activities through the burning of fossil fuels, the decomposition of organic matter and the burning of biomass. The modern viticulture brought an increase of emissions and higher costs, mostly from the control of fungal diseases. Furthermore, we have to consider the concern of consumers about the negative effects of agrochemicals on product quality, health and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate new technologies that allow the simultaneous reduction of emissions, the use of agrochemicals and costs. Using simulation analysis, the purpose of this work is to present and quantify the ecological and economic advantages of cultivate vineyard with low-input management practices: the use of vines resistant to major diseases (the powdery and downy mildews). The hybrids from the first crossing between the European Vitis vinifera with the American Muscadinia rotundifolia and successive back-crossing with quality wine varieties, have advantages that are not only environmental (lower greenhouse gas emissions) but also economic (by reducing costs of agrochemical products). The researches carried out showed that the use of both technologies allow to reduce in 44 % the Carbon dioxide emissions, in 57 % the use of agrochemicals, in 64 % the cost of vineyard operations and in 56 % the time of manual labours employed during the vine’s growth.