Counteracting the flavescence dorée of the vine in Piedmont: the mandatory measures for 2024

PIEDMONT – The regional phytosanitary and technical-scientific services sector has published the mandatory provisions for 2024 for the contrast of the golden flavescence of the vine in the Piedmont Region.

The golden flavescence it is a quarantine disease, belonging to the vine yellows family, which is caused by a phytoplasmaa microorganism similar to a bacterium, which lives in the phloem vessels of the host plant or inside thevector insectit Scaphoideus titanus Ball. It is an extremely dangerous disease for vineyards.

In particular in the provisions (“Emergency phytosanitary measures and update of requirements to combat vine flavescence dorée in the Piedmont Region – Operational plan – Year 2024”) the obligations relating to: the elimination of vegetation with symptoms and the uprooting of plants in the vineyards under cultivation are indicated; the strategies to be followed for insecticide treatments and plant protection products to be used; to the management of wild vines.

On the page of the Piedmont Region website dedicated to flavescence dorée, which has been renewed, it is possible to find downloadable information material that can be disseminated to companies.

The Region highlights that the wineries that adhere to the “Rural Development Complement (CSR) 2023-2027 of the Piedmont Region” – intervention SRA01 – ACA 1 (Integrated production) and intervention SRA29 (Organic production) and those subject to the national quality system of integrated production (SQNPI) must necessarily follow the strategies and use the phytosanitary products indicated in the Bulletins and Press Releases published on the official website of the Phytosanitary Sector and technical-scientific services and must record the insecticide treatments indicating the doses and volumes of water used. In case of non-compliance, specific penalties and sanctions will be applied.

From mid-February to the beginning of April 2024, 11 information and training meetings were held in the Piedmont area on the flavescence dorée of the vine, in collaboration with the various pilot projects, with the protection consortia and with the professional agricultural organisations.

Furthermore, three training and refresher meetings were organized for technicians, one for each province (AL, AT and CN), in which a total of 121 technicians participated.