Benefits of soil dust cloud generation for the prevention of grapevine diseases

The main objective of the SOLES Project is to validate the dust cloud technique, as an effective phytosanitary treatment for the vine by assessing its practical viability in three types of soils: Inceptisol / Alfisols-Xerept (Haploxerept-Typic and Xeralfs-Dystroxerept- Typic), versus Entisol / Inceptisol-Orthent / Xerepts-Dystroxerept / Xerorthents-TypicDystroxerept / DystricXerorthents. To this end, the technique of generating and depositing a dust cloud of local origin has been analyzed, based on the construction of 3 identical units within the original design provided by Andres Morate, a local grower which accumulates 50 years of experience since his grandfather viticulturist. With this study, an example of the traditional knowledge that exists in rural areas is valued, and it is intended to strengthen the links between viticulture and wine production with a better integration of environmental respect practices in the production process by trying in addition to improving the competitiveness of grape producers by reducing the cost of applying phytosanitary syntheses. After a data collection campaign gathered in five locations and two treatments for each one, it has been verified that the average dust deposit amounts on average to 6.7um cm-2 under the current conditions of regulation of the machine. The variability of the amount of dust deposited on the vine leaves in each plot, ranges between 6.6 and 39.8%, variability attributable to the type of soil and its humidity at the time of application of the treatment, as well as to the environmental conditions (Ta, HR and breeze) Despite this, it is verified that the variability between treatments in the same plot is 32% of that registered between plots. That is, there is a local factor in the generation and deposition of dust attributable to differences in geological origin and texture.