Team:Bordeaux/Template:HomeProblem

Problem

We all love wine , right?

It's probably one of the most unique beverages that you can drink! Anyone who's ever taken a wine-tasting class will tell you how rich and complex it can be ; and surprisingly, you don't need much more than grapes to make it. However grapevine is often infected by Plasmopara viticola , an oomycete that invades the plant mainly through their leaves' parenchyme, making photosynthesis impossible. The plant then gets weak and eventually dies.

And that leads to no more wine...

The current solution against mildew is spraying grapevine fields with copper sulfate, also known as "bouillie bordelaise". Although this treatment is efficient and does help to protect the plant from harmful microorganisms, this method has a bad environmental and sanitary impact since the copper present in the treatment infiltrates in the ground and prevents the growth of other types of plants, therefore impacting the biodiversity of the region. Furthermore, long term contact with these chemical components can create symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or renal/hepatic dysfunctions for those living in these contaminated areas.