Apr 2012: Clare Valley Vines at Risk
FARMERS could face a ban of the widely-used weed control chemical, Glyphosate, if newly introduced summer spraying regulations are not acknowledged by growers… through ongoing research, it was discovered the Clare Valley tends to be the end location for chemical drift in the summer spraying period, from October to April each year.
This forms a residue on the fruit and also affects its early development.
It is a pivotal time for the wine industry, with vintage during that period.
“The Clare Valley has been hit in each of the last six years,” Mr Faulkner said.
With the right atmospheric conditions, the vapour travels along a phenomenon called an “inversion layer” and through gravity and wind patterns, most of the chemical drift eventually centres on the Clare Valley. “It can come from up to 100kms away, although we can’t tell exactly how far,” Mr Faulkner said.
https://www.plainsproducer.com.au/?p=6476