Modern viticulture cannot be practiced without the use of plant protection products to control diseases like downy mildew, powdery mildew, and pests. In severely sloping vineyards, where mechanization is not possible, pesticide application is realized using spray guns, which is a laborious, expensive, and dangerous application technique. In these vineyards, where viticulture is defined as “heroic viticulture,” vine-growers could seriously take advantage of innovation in spray-technique applications. For this reason, several prototypes of a fixed spraying system (FSS) were realized in recent years. Two prototypes of a fixed spraying system were built in 2019 in two different vineyards in the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy). In both vineyards, the fixed spraying systems were used to perform pesticide application during the 2020 season to control downy mildew, powdery mildew, and pests. With this solution, both vineyards were successfully protected, resulting in comparable infection degrees and yields as the ones protected with airblast sprayers and spray guns. This study contributes to assert fixed spraying systems as an innovation that could improve working conditions, safety, timing, and performances of plant protection products’ application in heroic viticulture areas.

Glyphosate-resistant biotypes of Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. have been detected in Asia, the Americas but not in Europe. The aim of this study was to evaluate resistance levels and possible target site resistance mechanisms of an E. indica biotype (19-1) collected from a plant nursery in Southern Italy where poor glyphosate efficacy was reported. Two dose-response experiments were conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of biotype 19-1 to glyphosate in comparison with two susceptible checks. 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) sequencing was performed to identify possible mutations conferring the resistance. The susceptible biotypes were completely controlled at the glyphosate recommended field dose of 360 g ae ha⁻¹, while 50% of the plants of biotype 19-1 survived at 1440 g ae ha⁻¹. The resistance index of biotype 19-1 ranged between 5.8 and 7.3 for the response variables of fresh weight reduction and plant survival, respectively. All the plants surviving glyphosate application and sampled for DNA analyses had the point mutation P106A. The biotype 19-1 can be confirmed as glyphosate-resistant, representing the first glyphosate-resistant population of E. indica in Europe.