Antimicrobial CopperFact 11 of 12
In the Bordeaux district of France, the 19th century French scientist Millardet noticed that vines daubed with a paste of copper sulfate and lime to make the grapes unattractive to theft appeared to be freer of downy mildew disease. This observation led to a cure (known as Bordeaux Mixture) for the dreaded mildew and prompted the commencement of protective crop spraying. Trials with copper mixtures against various fungal diseases soon revealed that many plant diseases could be prevented with small amounts of copper. Ever since, copper fungicides have been indispensable all over the world.
