The Interprofessional Committee for Champagne Wine (CIVC), created in 1941, is the interprofessional body bringing together all the operators involved in Champagne wine: winegrowers, wine merchants, Champagne houses, professional associations and cooperative cellars.
Agropolis Fondation, the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne and the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne signed a partnership agreement on 19 October 2015 to support the research project SUZUKII: Understand and combat the damage caused by the pest Drosophila SUzukii on the agri-vine system.
Originally from Asia, the Drosophila Suzuki fly arrived in Europe (and the US) in 2008. It lays and destroys ripening fruits, mainly cherries and strawberries. Since 2014 this fly has been attacking the grapes, causing acid rot.
There are few acceptable control solutions because they would require treatments just before harvest. This fly causes annual losses of several million euros.
This project raises 2 main questions:
- What is happening on the vine?
- How to protect fruits in a sustainable way?
