The National Observatory for the Deployment of Resistant Grape Varieties (OSCAR) is a participatory initiative established in 2017 by INRAE and IFV. It consists of a network of production plots planted with varieties resistant to downy and powdery mildew across the main French wine-growing regions.
The main goal?
To co-develop, for the first time, viticultural systems combining varietal resistance and integrated pest management methods for the principal vine diseases.
To learn more about the OSCAR initiative:
At its establishment in 2017, the OSCAR Observatory consisted of 34 plots spread across 14 sites. In 2025, the network counted 199 plots.
The range of resistant grapevine varieties and their deployment are experiencing growing momentum. This strong development is expected to accelerate in the coming years due to the completion of several grapevine breeding programs in France and Europe.
The OSCAR observatory is an innovative tool with multiple purposes, serving producers and the viticulture-wine sector.
It enables, among other things:
The OSCAR observatory also relies on a close collaboration between winegrowers, viticultural authorities, the OSCAR coordination team, and a multidisciplinary steering committee. It is a large-scale field experiment across our territory where everyone contributes to the collective dynamic by sharing knowledge, skills, and perspectives.
In the vineyards, up to five assessments of epidemic dynamics of diseases and pests are conducted annually.
In the laboratory, collected downy mildew strains are monitored through phenotyping and genotyping to track changes in aggressiveness and virulence.
For more information on vineyard observations, network entry requirements, and key dates, please consult our protocols below.
Since 2018, data from the OSCAR observatory has demonstrated that disease-resistant varieties effectively reduce the use of plant protection products while ensuring effective control of downy and powdery mildew -even during high-pressure years such as 2018 and 2024.
However, monitoring reveals that the efficacy of certain downy mildew resistance traits fluctuates based on local disease pressure and plot age.
The findings also highlight the emergence of black rot, a disease generally well-controlled in conventional vineyards through conventional treatment programs.
After eight years of observation, disease-resistant varieties achieve an average reduction of nearly 80% in plant protection treatments compared to conventional viticultural practices.
Since 2025, the OSCAR Observatory has expanded internationally through the European project GrapeBreed4IPM, funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101132223). This initiative enables the OSCAR network to extend to major European wine-producing countries such as Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria.
This expansion has led to the creation of the OSCAR EU Observatory, the first European Observatory dedicated to monitoring grapevine varieties resistant (DRV) to downy and powdery mildew.
With the addition of 56 European vineyard plots monitored under standardized OSCAR protocols, the Observatory's coverage now extends to 45 resistant varieties across Europe.
