COPPEREPLACE

Target audience

Winegrowers, researchers, companies in the wine industry and other stakeholders involved in sustainable vineyard production, particularly those interested in reducing the use of chemical products and protecting the environment.

Project objective

Reduce copper applications in vineyards and remediate contaminated soils through integrated, sustainable solutions compatible with organic production, in line with European regulations aimed at reducing the use of this metal

Project description

The project addresses the need to minimise the environmental impact of copper, an essential fungicide that nevertheless has cumulative harmful effects. The Agricultural Mechanization Unit (UMA) is involved in defining optimal application conditions for new plant protection products, such as copper microcapsules, based on trials at Agrópolis and in vineyards in France and Catalonia. Copperplace, led by the Wine Technology Platform and an international consortium, will also establish a stakeholder network to transfer knowledge and promote the adoption of the solutions developed.

The UPC's UMA, affiliated with the Barcelona School of Agri-Food and Biosystems Engineering (EEABB), is responsible for defining the optimal application conditions for the different plant protection products, including copper microcapsules, in order to reduce the amount of metal applied. UPC researchers will use the analyses conducted at the Agrópolis facilities − an experimental site located in Viladecans that is part of the Baix Llobregat Campus − to carry out further small-scale trials in plots in France and large-scale trials at the Jean Leon winery.

As part of COPPEREPLACE, a network of stakeholders will be established, bringing together representatives from the national and international viticulture sectors so that they can contribute their knowledge and experience to the project.

South West Europe Territorial Cooperation Programme (Interreg Sudoe).