ORGANIC VITICULTURE IN GREECE

Dr Ioannis RUMBOS
National Agricultural Research Foundation
Plant Protection Institute of Volos, Greece

The cultivated area with grapes in Greece is about 130.000 ha. The wine producing grapevine growing area was in 1997 69.500 ha (this area in 1982 was 94.900 ha). The area of the biological vineyards is 1122 ha (1997) (E.E.C. 2092/91). In addition, 185 ha is the area of raisins cultivated in a biological way. In 1997 the total grape production was 3.930.000 HL (table grapes 3.500.000 HL, wine grapes 400.000 HL).

Three private organisations (BIO, DIO and Physiologiki) have been authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture to advise control and give to the growers the right to use the biological identity for their products.

The Greek islands in the Aegean and Ionian sea are identical places for the production of biological grapes of high quality. The local varieties, aging over 3.000 years, are today under research for clonal selection, sanitary control and evaluation of the wine quality.

The target is to change the traditional viticulture into biological one by means of¨:

• The understanding of the main differences between the present practice and the biological methods.
• By carrying out of training activities.
• By creating of an information and communication network between Research Centres and wine enterprices.

The biological viticulture will secure:

• The production of high quality grapes without pesticide residues.
• A friendly environment with a high biological diversity.
• The protection of the health of the farmers and the consumers.

Pathogems and pests

The most important diseases in Greece is powdery mildew ( Uncinula necator ). Downy mildew ( Plasmopara viticola ) and gray mold ( Botrytis cinerea ) can cause severe damages the years when May and June are wet.

For the control of downy mildew, beside the measures recommended in the field praxis (e.g. destroying the leaves by plowing), the copper compounds are used extensively taking into consinderation the content in Cu % (Table 1). It must be noted that in some grapevine growing areas (e.g. Santorine and other islands) it is not necessary to spray at all against downy mildew and gray mold. In areas where downy mildew appears in the young foliage after the rains in fall, a treatment with copper is recommended after harvest.

TABLE 1: Copper content of phyrosanitary products in the Greek market

Powdery mildew can cause severe damages in all grapevine growing areas of Greece when the growers do not performe the necessary treatments with sulphur (powder and wettable). The first treatment is recommended early at the bud swelling stage with 1% wettable sulphur for the simultanuous suppression of the mites ( Colomerus vitis, Calepitrimerus vitis ).

For the control of gray mold there is available in the Greek market a product based on the fungus Trichoderma harzianum .

The main pest in Greece is the berry moth species Lobesia botrana . Flight activity monitoring is done by pheromone traps. The obtained flight curves help the advisory services to determine the spray schedule. The spray programm is based on products with active ingriedient of Bacillus thuringiensis (Table 2). In the 1 st generation of the berry moth, sprays are generally not recommended. For the 2d and 3d generation usually 2 treatments are preformed.

TABLE 2:

Research in progress

The predatory mites and the influence of the phytosanitary products on their population have been studied extensively.

A survey conducted during 1995-98 in the main grapevine growing areas of Greece among 37 grapevine varieties showed that twenty species of the family Phytoseiidae are present. The most predominant species is Phytoseius finitimus Ribaga with a frequency of occurrence in the vineyards ranging between 75-100% on the majority of the vine varieties. Second comes Amblyseius californicus (MC Gregov), followed by Typhlodromus hellenicus Swirski & Ragusa, T. kerkivae Swirski & Ragusa, T. explanatus Ragusa, Kampimodromus aberrans (Oudemans), Euseius stipulatus Athias-Henriot, A. andersoni (Chant), T. athiasae Porath & Swirski, T . perbibu (Wainstein), T. cotoneastri Wainstein, A. marginatus (Wainstein), A. barkeri Hughes, T. involutus Liv. & Kunz., T. intercalaris Liv. & Kunz., T. commenticious Liv. & Kunz, Seiulus amaliae Swirski & Ragusa, T. recki (Wainstein) and Phytoseius horribus Ribaga.

Studies of the influence on phytoseiids of the most important fungicides (copper compounds and sulphur powder and wettable) and insecticides (products based on Bacillus thuringiensis ) used to control the main diseases and pests of the grapevine showed that they have a neutral effect (Table 3, Fig. 1 and 2).

TABLE 3:

1. Dates of treatments: 13.06.97, 24.06.97, 7.07.97, 21.07.97
2. Means of 4 repetitions of 25 leaves

Figure 1: Fluctuation of the population of Phytoseiidae in a biological vineyard
sprayed four times with sulphur (powder)

For the prediction of grape diseases two forecasting systems (CIMEL and ADCON) are evaluated under the Greek conditions. 

Figure 2: Fluctuation of the population of Phtoseiidae in a biological
vineyard with three insecticides based on Bacillus thuringiensis