Abstract
The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus, is a major grapevine pest worldwide, whose chemical control is often unsatisfactory due to its cryptic behavior, insecticide resistance and high fecundity rate. Recently, increasing restrictions have been applied to insecticides used for managing VMB. This review discusses sustainable VMB management strategies in organic viticulture. Pheromone-mediated mating disruption has been proved to be effective in both organic wine and table-grape vineyards. Biocontrol projects carried out through the release of parasitoids and/or predators have often provided inconclusive results, ranging from effective reduction of mealybug infestation to a marginal impact of parasitoids on VMB density. The latter outcome is likely due to constraints affecting the parasitoid activity, such as the disrupting activity of mealybug-tending ants and broad-spectrum insecticides, or untimely release of parasitoids. Ant suppression should be associated with the release of beneficial organisms, as mealybug-tending ants can severely affect the parasitoid activity. Cultural and physical control and the employment of entomopathogens and natural products mitigate the buildup of VMB populations, but they are not widely applied. VMB control in organic viticulture requires the integration of different strategies, as application of single control tools as a stand-alone treatment may not be effective, especially for high pest infestation. Future research to determine the density action threshold below which sustainable methods are effective and calibrate efforts in relation with pest infestation is needed. A multi-disciplinary approach is required to define the most appropriate sustainable control protocols in different environmental conditions and promote a further spread of organic viticulture.
Highlights
The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) (Fig. 1), is a key grape pest in the most important grape-growing regions of the world (Argentina, California, Europe, Mediterranean Africa, Mexico, the Near and Middle East and South Africa) (Daane1 3 Vol.:(0123456789)Journal of Pest Science (2021) 94:153–185 et al 2008a, 2012)
The present review provides an up-to-date and complete overview of the available control tactics, as well as basic information on VMB biology that deeply influences the effectiveness of control tactics
Synthetic insecticides cannot be employed in pest management programs in organic viticulture
Summary
The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) (Fig. 1), is a key grape pest in the most important grape-growing regions of the world (Argentina, California, Europe, Mediterranean Africa, Mexico, the Near and Middle East and South Africa) Possible genetic differences between populations hypothesized by Varikou et al (2010) have been ruled out by molecular analysis of VMB populations worldwide, with South African, Argentinian and Greek populations belonging to the same European group (Daane et al 2018b) Another abiotic factor involved in the development and reproduction output of P. ficus is the nitrogen; mealybugs exhibited a decreasing developmental time at increasing nitrogen content on leaves, either due to higher nitrogen fertilization regimes or complete legume cover crops (Cocco et al 2015; Muscas et al 2017). Trials with different combinations of temperatures and immersion periods indicated as optimal procedure a hot-water treatment in three steps of five minutes each as follows: pre-heating (30 °C), heating (52,8 °C) and cooling (23 °C) (Haviland et al 2005) This protocol has been commercially used by nurseries in California for VMB control in dormant grape cuttings, as it provides a mealybug mortality of 99.8–100% and is effective against root knot nematodes, grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch (Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae) and fungal and bacterial diseases.
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