The Gdon de l’Escalette, sentinel against the golden flavescence in the Lodévois valleys

Yann Jeannin (à droite) avec Emmanuel Monod du Fredon Occitanie lors d’une inspection le 29 mai. Correspondant local

Créé en 2012 à Soubès, le Groupement de défense contre les organismes nuisibles montre toute son efficacité.

More than hail or frost, golden flavescence is “the” vine disease feared by winegrowers. Sneaky because it is undetectable in the first years, its damage to the vineyard is irreversible. If the disease, whose appearance in Lodévois dates back to 1991 in Lauroux, has remained sporadic, the fear of a resurgence still haunts winegrowers, especially since it does not exist no treatment. The only solution is to eliminate the vine leafhopper (scaphoideus titanus), a sucking insect and the only vector for the spread of the disease. Except that the insecticide valid in conventional and organic vineyards turns out to be very expensive and it is not without consequences on the environment and on human health.

A group of 18 wine growers

Aware of the phenomenon when he was preparing his license in viticulture in Montpellier, the winegrower Yann Jeannin, was only 21 years old when he convinced most of the winegrowers of the Lergue valleys, of Brèze and Laurounet, north of Lodève, to create, in 2012, the Gdon de l’Escalette (Defense group against harmful organisms). Its role consists of tracking down the leafhopper through a methodical inspection of the vineyard under the cover of Fredon 34, the health surveillance body attached to the regional prefecture and the Hérault Chamber of Agriculture.
"Our joint work consists of counting the larvae in order to obtain a photograph of our 250 hectare terroir" explains Yann Jeannin operating the estate Massalarie in Soubès. Then the group, made up of 18 wine growers, organized the trapping of the winged stage of the leafhopper between the beginning of July and the beginning of August.

The leafhopper, a disease that appeared in 1949

Little known to the general public, flavescence dorée appeared in 1949 in Gascony before spreading to Languedoc, Saône-et-Loire, Champagne… Its appearance in Lod&eac;vois dates back to 1991. Due to its serious consequences, all operators have the obligation to report the presence of the vine leafhopper to the competent authorities, ;spreading insect. Its destruction is obligatory and regulated by the court order. ministerial meeting of April 27, 2021. Last year, 44 plots contaminated by flavescence, i.e. 40 ha, were investigated. snatched in Languedoc-Roussillon.

In 12 years, the results are there since treatments against leafhoppers in the sector have gone from two in 2014, to just one in 2017 and zero in 2022!

"This season, the first survey on Wednesday May 29 revealed only one leafhopper in our valleys, which means that treatment against the insect would have no benefit" explains Yann Jeannin. Last year, Lauroux, Poujols, Pégairolles-de-l’Escalette and Soubès were among the eight Hérault communes where treatment was not made compulsory by Fredon 34, enough to reassure the residents ;entire profession.

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