Phytoparasitica (1997) 25, 147-148
A. Gamliel, Miriam Austerweil, Yehudit Riven, B. Steiner, V. Zilberg, S. Ovadia, S. Cohen and Y. Yechezkely (1997)
Improved pest control in wine grapes by canopy treatments and pesticide application
Phytoparasitica 25 (2), 147-148
10th Conference of the Entomological Society of Israel, February 11, 1997, Bet Dagan, Israel, lecture
Abstract: Wine production in Israel has been a developing industry in the last two decades. The major pests of grapes in Israel include the European vine moth (Lobesia botrana), the honeydew moth (Cryptoblabes gnidiella) and powdery mildew (Uncinula necator). The moths are active throughout the crop season and cause substantial yield losses. Pest control involves frequent pesticide applications using various types of sprayers, including hydraulic, air-carried and airplacement sprayers. In many cases pesticide application is not effective, since the dense canopy covers the grape clusters and prevents spray deposit. This is especially pronounced in vineyards in which pruning is not practiced. The objectives of the current study were to test possible improvement of pesticide application and pest control by canopy treatments. Three field plots were established in 1995/96 in the inland valley in the central part of Israel. Canopy treatments included one or two hedgings alone or combined with leaf removal. The first canopy treatment was carried out in May and the second at the end of June. Pesticides were applied within the framework of the commercial pest control program. Spray deposition on the clusters was determined by direct quantitative analysis of chlorpyrifos on the berries or by qualitative assessment of the coverage by the fluorescent tracer technique. All canopy treatments enhanced the deposit of chlorpyrifos on clusters in the periphery of the grapevine. However, the deposition of the pesticide on clusters located inside the grapevine was enhanced only in the leaf-removed plots. Deposits of chlorpyrifos were higher in plots in which leaves were removed twice compared with only once. The fluorescent tracer method showed good coverage of both sides of the cluster in the leaf-removed plots, compared with poor spray coverage on the back side of the clusters in the other treatments. The numbers of larvae of L. botrana and C. gnidiella were significantly reduced by the leaf removal treatments. Subsequently, the incidence of infected clusters at harvest was reduced from 21% in the nontreated plots to 5.6% in the double leaf-removal treatment. Hedging alone had no effect on pest control. Leaf removal combined with an optimal spray application technology can provide better pest control and may enable a reduction in the frequency of sprays.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lobesia botrana | Grapevine (Vitis) | Israel | ||
| Erysiphe necator | Grapevine (Vitis) | Israel | ||
| Cryptoblabes gnidiella | Grapevine (Vitis) | Israel |
