abstract An individual grower’s response to pests and diseases in their vineyard can have consequences for an entire growing region. Collective action strategies can help align disease responses to achieve…
Erythritol is a non-caloric sugar used in artificial sweeteners such as Truvia and is safe for human consumption. Formulations with erythritol have induced mortality among spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) adults in the lab and greenhouse, and reduced infestation rates among fruits in the field. While promising, the erythritol formulation needs to be improved for field application and its non-target effects considered. Recently, we developed two new formulations to reduce the stickiness of sprays
The success of both integrated pest management and organic production is critically dependent on naturally occurring insect biological control agents. Numerous studies (including some in vineyard systems) have indicated that populations of beneficial insects can be increased by increasing plant diversity (e.g., through cover cropping). Research targeted specifically at the situation in eastern Washington irrigated vineyards is therefore urgently needed.
In recent years, there has been an emergence of shock-like disease in previously BlShV-affected fields. The recurring disease has been observed for several years in Oregon and Washington, with disease incidence exceeding 50% in some cases. Over the last decade, the use of High Throughput Sequencing (HTS) has become more widely used for plant virus detection primarily because of two important attributes lacking in current technologies: 1. The ability to provide information on virus population structure, including virus variants, of a plant in a single test; and 2. detect viruses and viroids that have no known laboratory test, also called novel viruses (Villamor et al., 2019).
Cutworms are capable of causing severe damage in vineyards during the early spring months when vines buds and tender shoots are at their most vulnerable. Damage to buds can cause severe crop loss in Washington vineyards, and this study supports the idea that the Cutworm species found on vineyard floors (on weeds, etc.) are a minor component of the fauna that actually damages grapevines. Vineyard sites with a large number of Cutworms on the vineyard floor did not necessarily sustain major bud damage. Conversely, sites with small numbers of Cutworms sometimes sustained major bud damage. This appeared to be related to ground cover presence/absence and/or type, but was also, in view of the rearing data, a consequence of most ground-dwelling species preferring to remain on the ground and not climb up grapevines.
