Organic Pest Management in Vineyards

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 5635

Special Issue Editor

Department of Crop Protection, Geisenheim University, Von-Lade-Str. 1, D-65366 Geisenheim, Germany
Interests: biocontrol; insect–plant interactions; viticulture; horticulture

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In light of insect pests’ increasing resistance to insecticides and the necessity of reducing pesticide inputs in vineyards, new strategies for controlling insect pests are pivotal to future sustainable viticulture. Insect pest management in organic systems essentially relies on the prevention of economi­c damages by supporting biodiversity both above and below the ground, pro­viding habitats for beneficial organisms, and taking maximum advantage of physical and cultural control methods. Regular monitoring of pests is also important. When preventative measures are not able to control pest populations, the last option is the use of permitted organic pesticides. This Special Issue aims to present the state-of-the-art in organic and biological control strategies available to the wine grower, including nonsynthetic control methods such as biological, botanical, or mineral pesticides, the efficiency of lures, traps, and repellents, strategies for the augmentation or introduction of predators or parasites, and options for the development of suitable habitats for natural enemies.

Prof. Dr. Annette Reineke
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • organic insecticides
  • insect monitoring tools in viticulture
  • insect parasites
  • biological control strategies
  • vineyards as habitats for natural enemies

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 2149 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Impact of Two Generalist Predators on the Leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata Population Density
by Stefan Cristian Prazaru, Giulia Zanettin, Alberto Pozzebon, Paola Tirello, Francesco Toffoletto, Davide Scaccini and Carlo Duso
Insects 2021, 12(4), 321; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/insects12040321 - 06 Apr 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, [...] Read more.
Outbreaks of the Nearctic leafhopper Erasmoneura vulnerata represent a threat to vinegrowers in Southern Europe, in particular in North-eastern Italy. The pest outbreaks are frequent in organic vineyards because insecticides labeled for organic viticulture show limited effectiveness towards leafhoppers. On the other hand, the naturally occurring predators and parasitoids of E. vulnerata in vineyards are often not able to keep leafhopper densities at acceptable levels for vine-growers. In this study, we evaluated the potential of two generalist, commercially available predators, Chrysoperla carnea and Orius majusculus, in suppressing E. vulnerata. Laboratory and semi-field experiments were carried out to evaluate both species’ predation capacity on E. vulnerata nymphs. The experiments were conducted on grapevine leaves inside Petri dishes (laboratory) and on potted and caged grapevines (semi-field); in both experiments, the leaves or potted plants were infested with E. vulnerata nymphs prior to predator releases. Both predator species exhibited a remarkable voracity and significantly reduced leafhopper densities in laboratory and semi-field experiments. Therefore, field studies were carried out over two growing seasons in two vineyards. We released 4 O. majusculus adults and 30 C. carnea larvae per m2 of canopy. Predator releases in vineyards reduced leafhopper densities by about 30% compared to the control plots. Results obtained in this study showed that the two predators have a potential to suppress the pest density, but more research is required to define appropriate predator–prey release ratios and release timing. Studies on intraguild interactions and competition with naturally occurring predators are also suggested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Pest Management in Vineyards)
Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 3559 KiB  
Article
Old Parasitoids for New Mealybugs: Host Location Behavior and Parasitization Efficacy of Anagyrus vladimiri on Pseudococcus comstocki
by Renato Ricciardi, Valeria Zeni, Davide Michelotti, Filippo Di Giovanni, Francesca Cosci, Angelo Canale, Lian-Sheng Zang, Andrea Lucchi and Giovanni Benelli
Insects 2021, 12(3), 257; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/insects12030257 - 18 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3175
Abstract
The Comstock mealybug, Pseudococcus comstocki (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a primary pest of orchards in the North and Northwest of China. This pest appeared recently in Europe, including Italy, where it is infesting mainly vineyards as well as apple and pear orchards. The present [...] Read more.
The Comstock mealybug, Pseudococcus comstocki (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a primary pest of orchards in the North and Northwest of China. This pest appeared recently in Europe, including Italy, where it is infesting mainly vineyards as well as apple and pear orchards. The present study investigated the efficacy of Anagyrus vladimiri, a known biological control agent (BCA) of Planococcus ficus, on P. comstocki to evaluate a potential use for the management of this new pest. No-choice tests were conducted to quantify the parasitoid behavior against P. ficus and P. comstocki. The parasitoid successfully parasitized both species (parasitization rate: 51% and 67% on P. comstocki and P. ficus, respectively). The A.vladimiri developmental time (19.67 ± 1.12 vs. 19.70 ± 1.07 days), sex ratio (1.16 ± 1.12 vs. 1.58 ± 1.07) and hind tibia length of the progeny showed no differences when P. comstocki and P. ficus, respectively, were exploited as hosts. Two-choice tests, conducted by providing the parasitoid with a mixed population of P. ficus and P. comstocki, showed no host preference for either of the two mealybug species (23 vs. 27 first choices on P. comstocki and P. ficus, respectively). The parasitization rate (61.5% and 64.5% in P. comstocki and P. ficus, respectively) did not differ between the two hosts. Overall, our study adds basic knowledge on parasitoid behavior and host preferences and confirms the use of this economically important encyrtid species as an effective BCA against the invasive Comstock mealybug. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Pest Management in Vineyards)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop