Preliminary economic evaluation of an agrometeorological system for Plasmopara viticola infections management

Grapevine downy mildew (Plasmopara viticola) is an important disease that can heavily affect the quality and quantity of vine production. In central Italy disease control is based on a regular scheduling of about 10 fungicide applications from May to August, with a cost ranging from 250 to 350 €/ha just for products purchase. In this study an agrometeorological system based on the model PLASMO, which is able to simulate the appearance and progress of infections, was applied to define the timing of fungicide applications and then compared with a regular application scheduling. The two strategies were compared on the basis of their efficacy and their economic cost. For the year analysed the strategy based on the use of the model was economically convenient when the treated area was at least 6 ha.