The entomology of vineyards in Canada

Abstract

AbstractIn Canada, viticulture has been practiced since the arrival of European settlers. After a period of low activity due to the prohibition in North America, viticulture enjoyed a renaissance in the 1970s such that it became a rapidly growing industry in Canada. It is currently practiced mainly in five provinces,i.e., British Columbia, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. In Eastern Canada, several species of wild vines (VitisLinnaeus; Vitaceae) grew naturally before cultivation of domesticated cultivars and these had their entomofauna. In contrast, no wild vines grew in British Columbia. As a consequence, the insect fauna varies according to the provinces and the regions and the agroclimatic conditions. Here we review the literature relevant to viticultural entomology in Canada and discuss the main grape insects. It is noteworthy that certain insect pests of grapes were the subject of the first issues ofThe Canadian Entomologist. Selected milestones are provided to document the evolution of research in grape entomology in the context of dynamic evolving viticultural and oenological industries. In recent years, the arrival of several invasive species challenged the sustainability of integrated pest management programmes.