Bordeaux mixture, bouillie bordelaise in French, once much-used mixture of lime, copper sulfate, and water first recorded in 1885 by Alexis Millardet, Professor of Botany at bordeaux University, as an effective control of downy mildew. Use of the mixture was a historic event since it was to become the most important chemical for the control of both fungal diseases and bacterial diseases for 50 years. It has subsequently been replaced by other fungicides, many of them containing copper. It is still used today by very traditional growers in some regions and it is one of the few preparations permitted in organic viticulture and biodynamic viticulture.
