Alternative Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvitanna) control techniques to reduce the use and reliance on broad spectrum insecticides

Abstract

Alternative Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvitanna) control techniques to reduce the use and reliance on broad spectrum insecticides

Summary

This project has proven that if growers adopt pest and disease monitoring and practice IPM, they can have rapid and positive results. All growers involved in this project only used softer more specific insecticides compared to the broad-spectrum insecticides used by some growers previously. This will therefore help in maintaining Australia’s clean green image, improve worker safety and reduce environmental contamination. Growers have also gained more knowledge of pest and disease levels in their vineyard as a result of this project.

Although LBAM was the main focus, diseases such as Powdery Mildew, Downy Mildew and Phomopsis were also challenging. Powdery Mildew was a particular problem in most vineyards suggesting spray coverage, rates and timing of applications need closer attention. There are also several weather stations in Eden Valley allowing the potential for a Cropwatch SA type service to be established. This would allow for much greater knowledge of Downy Mildew infection periods resulting in accurately timed eradicants/protectants as opposed to growers applying Downy Mildew protectant fungicides on a regular basis. This would inevitably result in growers applying s less copper based sprays therefore saving money and less environmental contamination. Phomopsis was also challenging due to two growers spraying for the disease with no need to.

Towards the end of the season, I decided to dissect some of the LBAM larvae to determine if they had been parasitised or not. In two vineyards, larvae were dissected two and four weeks before harvest and showed that forty to fifty percent of the larvae had been parasitised. White cocoons in bunches from parasitised LBAM larvae were continually found in all patches throughout the season. Often more cocoons in bunches would be found than LBAM larvae hence prompting me to dissect the larvae. The practice of dissecting larvae to determine the percentage of parasitised larvae is also done in Brassicaceous crops by Pest and Disease monitoring Services. Research is currently being done on the effects of larval parasitism at The University of Adelaide and several overseas countries in Asia. The percentage of parasitised LBAM larvae is another area which could require further research by the winegrape industry. Vineyard managers would benefit greatly from this knowledge so they can make better control decisions if warranted. Had this been done, sprays late in the season (such as veraison onwards) may not have been required therefore saving money and protecting the parasitoids.