Marc Pineau, crop manager at Serres de Goulaine, testifies to the effectiveness of the Julietta biocontrol solution, used since 2018 on tomatoes in the preventive fight against botrytis.
What is your current method of cultivation?
For the past 10 years, we've used almost no synthetic products on the farm, and we've started to think differently. Since the launch of the "Zero Pesticide Residue" initiative 3 years ago, we've adhered to this approach and gradually integrated biocontrol into our farming methods.
Changes in practice are made step by step, applying these changes in one greenhouse, then another, then another.
How has biocontrol impacted your practices?
We don't use the same reasoning for product applications between chemical products, which have a curative action, and biocontrol products, which have a preventive action. Biocontrol products require anticipation, and we identify the phases of risk. Parameters have been observed year after year, and we have succeeded in setting our own values and acquiring a much finer observation of early warning signs.
How did you meet Julietta and work with Agrauxine?
In 2018, through the Dephy-Serres network, we were able to experiment with Julietta before its registration. In conjunction with the Comité Départemental de Développement Maraîcher, Agrauxine set up an application protocol, with on-site surveys and sampling via petri dishes, in order to measure the product's effectiveness.
From the figures supplied by Agrauxine, we were able to see that the yeast developed very quickly on wounds, before botrytis appeared. And we saw real efficacy against botrytis. When the product was approved, we continued to use it on our tomatoes.
What advice would you give on how best to apply Julietta?
The product is very simple to prepare and use, requiring only several passes to apply the product at the right moment.
Observation is therefore essential. We make regular visits with our staff to observe the first signs of botrytis, which involves training them. In spring, the risk of botrytis developing is greatest, but also from August 15, through to September-October, when vigilance must be stepped up.