Foothill Grape Day June 14, 2007 Vine Mealybug Biology & Control Strategies Monica Cooper, Kent Daane, Glenn Yokota
Grape Longtailed Obscure Vine
Vine Mealybug is Different from Grape Mealybug Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus) Morphology Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus)
Vine Mealybug is Different from Grape Mealybug Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus) Honeydew production Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus)
Vine Mealybug is Different from Grape Mealybug Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus) Synchronized generations Ease of sampling Timing of insecticide applications Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus) Overlapping generations
1-2 generations per season Grape mealybug (Pseudococcus maritimus)
Amador & El Dorado County 4.2 to 5.25 generations per season Vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus)
Sampling
Harvest: Upper trunk, canes, leaves, bunches Summer: Upper trunk, canes, spurs, leaves Late spring: Upper trunk, canes, spurs, basal leaves Early spring: Lower to mid-trunk Winter: Roots and lower trunk
Harvest: Upper trunk, leaves, bunches Protected locations Presents a challenge for Sampling, Insecticides, Biocontrol Summer: Upper trunk, canes/spurs leaves Late spring: Upper trunk, canes/spurs, basal leaves Early spring: Lower to mid-trunk Winter: Roots and lower trunk
Pheromone Monitoring Can be Faster, Easier, More Effective
Pheromone traps only work when males are present 400 Male VMB per trap per sample 300 200 100 0 Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept 2002 2003 Insecticides may remove males more easily than females; may result in changes in sex ratio leading to fewer or more males.
Control Strategies
Eradication program: Vine Removal delayed-dormant Lorsban (OP) bloom-time Admire or Venom (neonicotinoid) in-season with various contacts Lannate/Sevin (blows up mites) Dimethoate/Imidan (knock down) Applaud (insect growth regulator) post-harvest Lorsban (OP)
VMB continues to spread: What new controls will be used? 1994 1998 2005* * Distribution changes rapidly because of new/unreported finds
Sustainable Management Tools: Mating Disruption Biological Control Softer Insecticides Argentine Ant Management
Mating Disruption
Sex pheromone and mating disruption 250 dispensers/acre; 10 g AI/ac Equivalent to pheromone released by 10 billion virgin female VMB per acre
Mating Disruption Trials Del Rey, Fresno County Ad Ad Ap Ap Ap 2006-08 replicated trial 20-40 acre blocks Applaud or Admire 10 acre treatments MD or Control 2-3 acre sample areas Ad Extension trials as part of sustainable VMB management program
Economic damage to clusters: 0 1 2 3 Methodology (0 3 scale) 0- no damage 1- honeydew and a few VMB 2- VMB but salvageable cluster 3- unmarketable cluster Rating is more accurate More samples per search hour Economic-base Harvest-time, VMB in clusters 100 s or more vines per plot Try to get 20% vines: 1 cluster per vine cluster is touching bark
2005 RESULTS CLUSTER DAMAGE Number of clusters rated 900 700 500 300 Severe Moderate Low None 100 0 Control Pheromone
100 2005 RESULTS CLUSTER DAMAGE Number of clusters rated 75 50 25 0 ~8.8% Control ~2.8% Pheromone Severe Moderate Total clusters rated 850 per treatment
MATING DISRUPTION Reduction (%) of total VMB (±SEM) (1) Sprayable formula lasts only 21-28 days, requiring repeated applications 100 80 60 40 20 0 a ab Low Medium High (2) Initial VMB density in spring b Sec. 18 (3)
Biological Control
UC / USDA / CDFA Importation Program Grape Mealybug Complex Vine Mealybug grape, obscure & longtailed vine mealybug found in 1994 vine longtailed obscure & longtailed obscure vine
Greece Turkey TK9.1 TK26.2 Tunisia TN6.2.2 TN5.2 GR4.4 CA, Mexico, Israel, Egypt are similar Argentine & S. Africa close to Europe separate species? Need more samples Implications for bio-control? Greece GR7.1 GR3.4 TK8.3 TN6.4.1 TN4.1 TN6.1.1 TN6.3.1 TN3.2 TN6.3.2 Tunisia Mexico E1 Israel I11 PCR Turkey It5.2 It1.2 Italy France Spain SA PO20.1 Tcitri8 GR5.1 PC1 TK6.1 Argentina Portugal F13.2 SP5.1 SA3 A3 PO20.2 F8.2 SA1 SP4.2 SP9.1 F9.2 Portugal Spain France N3 N1 Napa Fresno Bakersfield San Luis Obispo Mexico
Israeli (CA), N Italy, Sicily, Greek strains Coccidoxenoides peregrinus Anagyrus pseudococci female Preferred host is 3 rd instar VMB Anagyrus pseudococci male
Anagyrus combined with soft insecticides 80-90% parasitism of exposed VMB Soil line
Release Program 2006/07: Four regions: North Coast Central Coast Northern Interior Winegrape San Joaquin Valley Two parasitoids: Anagyrus pseudococci (Northern Italy) Coccidoxenoides peregrinus (South Africa)
Total 2006 releases 500,000 CpSA 12,000 Ap Anagyrus recovered from all sites, even where it was not released Cp recovered from 50% of sites
Insecticides
Eradication program is pesticide intensive: Delayed-dormant Lorsban Bloom-time Admire or Venom (neonicotinoid) In-season with various contacts Lannate/Sevin (blows up mites) Dimethoate/Imidan Applaud (insect growth regulator) Post-harvest Lorsban (OP) Sustainable? Resistance?
Alternative Insecticides Cluster damage rating (avg 0 3 scale) 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Drip irrigation a Admire (2003) b Admire (2002) c Furrow irrigation a a Applaud Lorsban Control New materials, application methods and better timing. Goal: Replace chlorpyrifos (24(c) exemption) Daane et al. 2006. Calif. Agric.; Bentley et al. 2005. CTGC
Efficacy of Admire depends on soil type and irrigation: Is it bound to the soil or available to the plant? Weber, Byrne and Toscano 2005
Efficacy of Applaud depends on timing Insect growth regulator Target crawlers (1 st instar) and 2 nd instar nymphs
Not yet tested Admire (nicotenoid) Venom (nicotenoid-like) Movento (spirotetramat) Laboratory tests (2 of 9 replicates) Lorsban (OP) Lannate (Carbamate) Applaud (IGR) JMS Stylet Oil (oil) Dimethoate (OP) Assail (nicotenoid) Ecotrol (Oil/Neurotoxin) M-Ped (Soap) Pyganic (Pyrethrum) Saf-T-cide (Petroleum oil) Danitol (Pyrethroid) Neemix (neem, botonical)
Impact of Argentine ant on VMB: Liquid baits target ant colony
Liquid baits target ant colony Alex Wild CCVT
No silver bullet, but Sustainable Management Tools: Mating Disruption Biological Control Softer Insecticides Argentine Ant Management
American Vineyard Foundation California Table Grape Commission California Raisin Marketing Board Viticulture Consortium West Bayer Crop Science (gift, product) Suterra Inc. (R&D, product) California Dept. Food & Agriculture California Dept. Pesticide Regulation Central Coast Vineyard Team UC Cooperative Extension USDA ARS (France) Western Regional SARE Lab Assistants Mark Aronoff Mark Aronoff John Andrews, Insectary Manager