GiESCO 2019 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 GiESCO 9 Predatory Arthropods associated with potential locally-adapted native insectary plants for Australian vineyards

Predatory Arthropods associated with potential locally-adapted native insectary plants for Australian vineyards

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – Three locally-adapted native plants were evaluated to determine their capacity to provide insectary benefits to predatory arthropods in association with vineyards, and thereby to enhance biological control of insect pests. Native plants are preferred as supplementary flora, as they are naturally adapted to Australia’s climatic conditions.

Materials and methods – Stands of mature Bursaria spinosa, Leptospermum continentaleand Rytidosperma ssp. located adjacent to or in the mid-rows of Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and Eden Valley vineyards were sampled for arthropods in 2013/14. Vitis viniferawas also sampled.

Results – Twenty seven thousand and ninety-one individual invertebrate specimens were collected, comprising 20 orders and 287 morphospecies. Eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty predators, 6,790 herbivores and 11,421 other specimens were collected. Predatory arthropods dominated the diversity of morphospecies present on each plant. Out of a total of 98 predatory morphospecies, 67 were found on B. spinosa, 63 on L. continentale, 56 on V. vinifera and 38 in association with Rytidosperma ssp. The difference between predatory and herbivore morphospecies was highest on Rytidosperma ssp. (2:1 predators: herbivores), followed by L. continentale, V. vinifera and B. spinosa. The richness of predator morphospecies across all plant types was nearly double the number found in association with grapevines. It may be possible to increase the functional diversity of predatory arthropods by more than 3x when either B. spinosa or L. continentale is present versus grapevines only, and increase the net number of predator morphospecies by around 27% when Rytidosperma ssp. are planted in combination with the grapevines. The selected plants provide a suitable habitat to support diverse and functional populations of predatory arthropods. The opportunity to plant selected native insectary species could help wine grape growers save time and resources by producing fruit with lower pest incidence, while enhancing biodiversity of their vineyards.

DOI:

Publication date: September 26, 2023

Issue: GiESCO 2019

Type: Poster

Authors

M. J. RETALLACK12, L. J. THOMSON3, M. A. KELLER2

1* Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd, Crafers West, South Australia 5152, Australia
2 School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia 
3 School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia

Contact the author

Keywords

Bursaria spinosa, Leptospermum continentale,insectary, Rytidosperma ssp., predatory arthropods, vineyards

Tags

GiESCO | GiESCO 2019 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Monitoring small-scale alcoholic fermentations using a portable FTIR-ATR spectrometer and multivariate analysis

Although some wine production processes still rely on post-production evaluation and off-site laboratory analysis, the new winemaking industry is aware of a need for a better knowledge of the process to improve the properties of the final product. Thus, more and more wineries are interested in incorporating quality-by-design (QbD) strategies instead of postproduction testing because of the possibility to early detect deviations in fermentation or any other wine process. This would allow to detect unwanted situations and eventually to ‘readjust’ the process, thus minimizing rejects.

Les paysages viticoles des régions Vale Dos Vinhedos et Monte Belo (Brésil), un lien avec l’Etrurie

[lwp_divi_breadcrumbs home_text="IVES" use_before_icon="on" before_icon="||divi||400" module_id="publication-ariane" _builder_version="4.19.4" _module_preset="default" module_text_align="center" module_font_size="16px" text_orientation="center"...

The influence of external factors on the alcoholic fermentation of wine yeasts

Wine yeast strains Saccharomyces ellipsoideus have important applications in food industry and in this regard is sought isolation as pure cultures and selecting those strains

Harnessing biodiversity to improve grapevine rootstock adaptation to drought

Drought is one of the most challenging threats for viticulture because of its impact on reducing yield and on the composition of grapes.

Ecophysiological performance of Vitis rootstocks under water stress

The use of rootstocks tolerant to soil water deficit is an interesting strategy to cope with limited water availability. Currently, several nurseries are breeding new genotypes, but the physiological basis of its responses under water stress are largely unknown. To this end, an ecophysiological assessment of the conventional 110-Richter (110R) and SO4, and the new M1 and M4 rootstocks was carried out in potted ungrafted plants. During one season, these Vitis genotypes were grown under greenhouse conditions and subjected to two water regimes, well-watered and water deficit. Water potentials of plants under water deficit down to < -1.4 MPa, and net photosynthesis (AN) <5 μmol m-2 s-1 did not cause leaf oxidative stress damage compared to well-watered conditions in any of the genotypes. The antioxidant capacity was sufficient to neutralize the mild oxidative stress suffered. Under both treatments, gravimetric differences in daily water use were observed among genotypes, leading to differences in the biomass of root, shoot and leaf. Under well-watered conditions, SO4 and 110R were the most vigorous and M1 and M4 the least. However, under water stress, SO4 exhibited the greatest reduction in biomass while M4 showed the lowest. Remarkably, under these conditions, SO4 reached the least negative stem water potential (Ψstem), while M1 reduced stomatal conductance (gs) and AN the most. In addition, SO4 and M1 genotypes also showed the highest and lowest hydraulic conductance values, respectively. Our results suggest that there are differences in water use regulation among genotypes, not only attributed to differences in stomatal regulation or intrinsic water use efficiency at the leaf level. Therefore, because no differences in canopy-to-root ratio were achieved, it is hypothesized that xylem vessel anatomical differences may be driving the reported differences among rootstocks performance. Results demonstrate that each Vitis rootstock differs in its ecophysiological responses under water stress.