The slow and necessary ecological transition of the cherry valley

Emblème de la vallée du Tarn, la cerise cherche à reverdir son image. AD

Committed to reducing inputs, a group of arborists from South Aveyron are involved in the survival of the red gold of the Tarn valley.

Hurry slowly. While cherries are currently blooming on market stalls in France, the South Aveyron tree growing sector continues its transformation carried out within the framework of the Ecophyto program.

Regularly singled out – even locally with the Poppies movement – reduced to agricultural practices inherited from centuries of allegiance to chemistry, there are around twenty professional arborists who have voluntarily committed themselves to the system Dephy. Emanation of the Ecophyto plan, its roadmap aims to reduce the use of inputs on farms "while maintaining economic, social and environmental performance."

The objective is clear. Drastically reduce the use of insecticides, herbicides and pesticides on farms partly focused on cherry production, the red gold of the valley doomed, without such initiatives, to certain disappearance.

Faced with the voracious appetite of the Asian fly, the Suzukii fruit fly – capable of destroying in a few hours the fruit of a year's work – the cherry saw its hegemony challenged by the mirabelle plum, less precocious but also less sensitive to the Asian peril.

Reduction in glyphosate consumption

Attached to their valley and to production which also ensures better profitability per hectare, "the Dephy group"&nbsp ; therefore decided to roll up its sleeves to restore the local emblem. To counter the famous fly, nets with proven effectiveness are now flourishing in the cherry orchards of the valley. Tests of spreading clay capable of deceiving the fly's penchant for the color red are also being tested.

Experiments, protocols to follow, collection of results… In conjunction with the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae) and the Interprofessional Technical Center for Fruits and Vegetables (CTIL), the group ;nbsp;has made the valley a national reference for mid-mountain areas ensuring continuity between laboratory research and field experimentation. Successfully ?

"We're moving forward. In 4 years, work on inter-row plant covers has already made it possible to reduce glyphosate consumption by 60%, summarizes for example Nathalie Raitière, arboriculture project manager at Apaba. At the head of the small group, the engineer purposely multiplies the experiments and is now banking on the generalization of nets for the 60 hectares of orchards of the "test group".

Betting on "spectacular drop" in the use of insecticides in a sector that stands out singularly from the rest of the department. The commune of Paulhe, as demonstrated by the « the Adonis map of pesticide use in France &raquo the one where the frequency of phytosanitary treatments is the highest.

"We are therefore moving forward step by step"

From there to completely excluding chemistry from farms as Loïc Almeras is already experimenting with on his 4,000 m2 plot ? "It is not yet on the agenda, at least for the moment, but it is the direction”, comments the engineer who, while still recognizing “certain fears" at farmers hopes to be able to present organic cherries on the shelves “within 5 or 6 years.”

Between commercial and regulatory injunctions and the vagaries of the weather, many arboriculturists and winegrowers still want to reserve the possibility of conventional treatments to “generate a minimum of income in the event of hard times”. All of them, habits are tenacious, having been immersed in an agricultural world where for problem its solution&hellip chemical.

"Reduce pesticides either. Everyone agrees but we must also ensure the sustainability of the farms. Be sure that trees planted 10 or 20 years ago will still be healthy in 5, on larger areas which increase the risks for producers. We don't plant salads but orchards which take several years to reach production age. Many people have no room for error. So we are moving forward step by step."

A precaution shared by Benoit Paulhac, arborist in Boyne and member of the Dephy group. After spending two years adapting the size of his cherry trees to the installation of nets, the thirty-year-old has just taken the plunge by equipping a little less than half of his cherry orchard.

"If it allows us to reduce the number of passes between the rows and the use of insecticide, we sign. But we prefer to remain cautious by being careful not to put our eggs in the same basket." The very expression of peasant common sense which more who never hesitates between tradition and modernity.

Irrigation and intensive production

Granted à height of 30 or 50%, the installation of nets – between 30,000 and 50,000 euros/ha – remains very expensive for arborists today trying to make the investment as profitable as possible by intensifying production.

"Like everything costs more, the more you put underneath (the nets) the happier you are",summarizes Nathalie Raitière who points out here the other problem in the valley: access to water. water.

"Between a non-irrigated plot and an irrigated plot, production can roughly increase by 5 or 6 tons &agrav; per hectare à more than double. We are also increasing the size of the cherry with price differences which can reach more than 1 euro per kilo. < /em>