Castoro Cellars is scaling UV-C light tech from ag robotics specialist Saga Robotics to 600+ acres of certified organic vineyards across California’s Central Coast to tackle powdery mildew. Saga Robotics, which recently hired O’Neill Vintners & Distillers general manager Caine Thompson to lead its US operations, has been working with Castoro for three years, deploying a fleet of autonomous ‘bots to treat its vines at night. Rather than applying oils and sulfur—the current tool set for organic winegrowers—Saga’s Thorvald bots deliver a UV-C light directly to the vine canopy, disrupting the reproductive cycle of powdery mildew, botrytis, and sour rot without leaving residues, soil disruption, compaction or ecological side effects in its wake. “After three years with the [Saga Robotics] Thorvald platform, the results were clear and the right move was to scale,” said Castoro cofounder Niels Udsen. “We believe it is the beginning of a much larger shift for growers across California and beyond.” Chemical-free winegrowing: the ‘holy grail’ Given existing fungicides to tackle powdery mildew are becoming less effective, growers often see a return on their investment through higher yields (as UV-C is more effective) as well as reduced labor costs. But they can also help winegrowers move away from synthetic chemicals, says Thompson, who describes chemical free winegrowing as “the holy grail” with UV-C lowering the barrier to entry into sustainable, organic and regenerative winegrowing by eliminating the need for synthetic chemicals. Saga Robotics, which recently announced a pilot with organic winegrower Bonterra Organic Estates in Mendocino County with…
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