Influence of Vineyard Inter-Row Management on Grapevine Leafhoppers and Their Natural Enemies

Inter-row management in vineyards can influence the abundance of grapevine pests and their natural enemies. In 2013-2015, in a vineyard in northeastern Italy, the influence of two vineyard inter-row management strategies (i.e., alternate mowing, AM, and periodical tillage, PT) on the population dynamics of grapevine leafhoppers Hebata vitis and Zygina rhamni and their natural enemies, the mymarid Anagrus atomus and spiders (Araneae), and other hymenopteran parasitoids, were studied with different survey approaches. The infestations of both leafhoppers were lower in AM than PT due to the reduced leafhopper oviposition and higher nymph mortality in AM. This occurred although leafhopper egg parasitization by A. atomus was greater in PT than AM according to a density-dependent relationship with the leafhopper egg amount. Hymenopteran parasitoids other than A. atomus were the most abundant in AM, probably due to the higher availability of nectar and pollen than in PM. The significantly higher population densities of hunting spiders in AM than PT can be associated with the higher predation of leafhopper nymphs. Therefore, the study demonstrated that the alternate mowing of vineyard inter-rows enhances the abundance of natural enemies, such as spiders and hymenopteran parasitoids, and can contribute to grapevine leafhopper pest control.

Side Effects of Kaolin and Bunch-Zone Leaf Removal on Generalist Predators in Vineyards

In vineyards, kaolin application and bunch-zone leaf removal (LR) were effective in the control of leafhoppers and Lobesia botrana, but their side effects on generalist predators are still poorly understood. In north-eastern Italian vineyards, the impact of kaolin and LR on species and functional diversity of spiders, as well as the abundance of spiders and generalist predatory insects, was assessed in one vineyard for two consecutive years and in two vineyards for one year. The ecological indices of the spider community were never influenced by kaolin and only in one case were they influenced by LR. At the spider family level, kaolin reduced the abundance of Araneidae, Oxypidae and Salticidae, but only in single cases. In single cases, kaolin reduced the amount of Orius sp. anthocorids and increased that of Scymninae coccinellids, whereas LR increased the amount of Aeolothrips sp. The moderate use of kaolin and the application of LR had negligible and inconsistent impacts on generalist predatory arthropods in vineyards and were therefore, compatible with IPM strategies.

Douro wine-tourism engaging consumers in nature conservation stewardship: An immersive biodiversity experience

Wine tourism is a growing revenue side-stream for wine businesses and regions. It complements wine with a context of landscape, gastronomy, culture and history. Wine tourism generates an experience that transcends the material nature of wine. In 2022, the UN will hold the COP15 of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD) aiming to reverse nature and biodiversity loss, making the world nature- positive by 2030 and planning for full recovery by 2050. Wine tourism develops the engagement of consumers with wine in its intangible dimensions enriching the experience offer with a further field: biodiversity and nature stewardship. We propose wine tourism may be used to educate consumers about the need to protect nature, ecosystem and biodiversity of those places where wine is produced and the global sustainability benefits that may be derived from that protection. We created a wine tourism offer package for a biodiversity trail set in a 70-hectare vineyard in Douro, a UNESCO world heritage site. In this work, we describe how scientific information was used to create the trail elements and educational information, to engage consumers as nature conservancy stewards and advocates.