Indirect plant protection is the use of methods that prevent the outbreak of disease and insect damage beyond an economic threshold. This is an attempt to establish and manage the vineyard in a way to prevent problems that would later need to be addressed by higher off-farm inputs. One example of a preventable problem would be the planting of late-ripening varieties prone to rot that would later need several Botrytis sprays to combat this disease. A second example of a problem that could be prevented would be the installation of a training system that caused too much shading and increased the incidents of disease requiring additional sprays.

1. Optimal use of natural resources
   • Planting of varieties and clones adapted to the local conditions
   • Appropriate yield expectations
   • Planting of resistant varieties and clones
   • Weed management appropriate to the level of competition to the crop
   • A mixture of varieties and crops
   • Appropriate timing of planting and vineyard operations
   • Appropriate training systems for the local area
   • Ecological compensations areas
2. Farming practices with impacts on the agro-ecosystem
   • Avoid the surplus input of nutrients including excess Nitrogen
   • Provide for the optimal crop and foliage ratio
   • Protect soil fertility through minimum tillage/cultivation
   • Manage weeds for plant competition and erosion control
   • Enhance biodiversity through habitat management
3. Protection and increase of antagonists (beneficial insects,fungi, plants, etc.).
   • Assessing the importance of individual antagonist species
   • Release of predatory species
   • Management of the habitat