DRONE TECHNOLOGY FOR VINE DISEASE PREVENTION. THE FRENCH VIGNERONS OF BORDEAUX AND BURGUNDY ALLOT 1.7 MILLION EUROS FOR A 3 YEAR PROJECT

The French are convinced that drone technology in the vineyard will help in the prevention of vine diseases. They are ready to start a trial run with the advice of Burgundy winemakers, Airbus air defense technicians and the Bordeaux wine mogul Bernard Magrez. The newborn consortium has planned an expenditure of 1.7 million euros in the second phase of the project called "Damav" (Automatic Detection of Vine Disease) that will run 36 months, thanks also to funding from the State and Novadem, which will provide the drones, according to the Bivb - Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne announcement and also reported by "Decanter" (www.decanter.com). "It is not science fiction.
The images obtained using drones”, said the consortium, “and interpreted using sophisticated analysis systems, will be, in the near future, a key tool in disease diagnosis for all winemakers”. Cecile Mathiaud, Bivb spokesman, explained that the challenge is to “make sure that what the drone sees can be analyzed to obtain even better results than what the human eye sees. It would mean that the vignerons could stop checking every single row”.
The second phase of the project will follow the initial premise, which is to identify the first signs of flavescence dorée, a relatively recent vine disease, for which there is still no known cure. It is currently at the center of a rather bitter legal battle between a biodynamic wine producer, Giboulot, and French officials. "Flavescence dorée is at the center of public debate at this time, but our work”, explained Mathiaud, “can also help fight other diseases”.
One of these is rotten wood, known as "esca” disease, which is a growing concern for French wine producers. Early diagnosis is essential to limit the damage caused by vine diseases like flavescence dorée or Esca, for which there are no effective treatments at the moment. In January of this year, Bernard Magrez, who is part of the alliance, said he would begin using drones to analyze vines in his four estates in Bordeaux. The Bivb is also part of a second consortium, which is working on ways to stimulate natural defenses against vine diseases, without resorting to chemistry. This project will also run 36 months with a 1.7 million euro budget.