It has been said many times that wine making starts in the vineyards. This is true, it is very difficult if not impossible to make good quality wine from poor quality grapes. There are several environmental and biological conditions that can lead to poor quality fruit with the former being more difficult to predict and manage than the latter.
Arysta LifeScience has thrown its weight in to support the training of individuals who can do just that; help to understand, mitigate and manage biological conditions that can lead to poor quality fruit. They are doing this by providing bursaries for previously disadvantaged individuals to study Entomology and Plant Pathology at Stellenbosch University.
Entomology is the scientific study of insects. Understanding the insects in a vineyard is crucial to ensuring that a healthy crop is harvested. Knowing the right conditions for an insect population growth, the life cycles, symbiotic relationships etc. can inform the Farmers on how better to protect their crops. More interestingly however is that not all insects are bad and some are beneficial which is just important to know.
Plant Pathology is the study of organisms and environmental conditions that cause disease in plants. Diseases in plants can be caused by bacteria and or fungi which are not visible to the human eye but can be just as detrimental to the crop.
The knowledge obtained in both these disciplines can help to ensure that a healthy crop is harvested annually to make beautiful wines.
About Arysta LifeScience -
In short, Arysta LifeScience is a global agricultural company specializing in the marketing and distribution of innovative crop protection and life science brands. With more than 200 active ingredients, Arysta LifeScience has a well-integrated biological and chemical portfolio to provide complete solutions to growers. The company’s wide range of offerings includes biosolutions; fungicides; herbicides; insecticides; and seed treatments. Arysta LifeScience, which has more than 4,000 employees working in over 100 countries to serve customers worldwide, had 2015 revenues of US$1.8 billion.
Arysta LifeScience prides itself in a product specifically aimed at the Wine industry, namely Azofol SR® which is used to increase the nitrogen levels in wine grapes and to promote the varietal thiols and other aromas in white wine. Azofol SR® also corrects nitrogen deficiencies late in the season.
The VinPro Foundation is excited to partner with the global player to address some of the needs of the Wine industry!