Domaine de l'Arlot

Romain Pascault, crop manager at Domaine de l’Arlot, Côte-d'Or - France

“Tillage help roots develop more deeply into the ground but on certain sloping fields, alternative options can be beneficial!”

The estate

  • Privately owned winery – 15- hectare wine estate (pinot noir & chardonnay), farmed organically.
  • Manual harvesting, Village & Grands Cru appellation, Prémeaux-Prissé.
  • 70% of production exported
  • 40,000 to 65,000 bottles sold, depending on years.

Innovations 

  • Organically farmed estate since the 2000’s
  • New practices are investigated through technological intelligence and meetings with partners in the Burgundy-Franche-Comté.
  • Deployment of an innovative mulch made from corn starch: Duravigne, marketed by the company Phorium. The product is laid down in the rows where machines cannot pass
    • It can be installed securely by creating a furrow and burying it. Here, two strips of mulch have been installed under the already-planted rows, also pegging them into the ground.
    • The mulch was installed in spring 2019 and its life span is estimated at 10 years.
  • New development avenues: gather up vine shoot clippings to make by-products, cover crops with beneficial properties for the vine.

Observed results

  • Lightweight and securely-held mulch. Good product adaptability.
  • As yet, little time for evaluation but since its installation, nothing has grown beneath it and the ground is clean.
  • The product is a good alternative to weeding.
  • Good visual appearance of product.
  • Mowing and brushcutting can be carried out around the mulch.

To find out more: www.arlot.com

Profile written by AgrOnov, the agroecology innovation hub

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