Pests and biodiversity management on a climate change scenario: A practical case

Abstract

The weather anomalies comparing the 1971-2000 time frame and the last years has showned a dramatic scenario when, in some months, average temperature in above 3ºC and the reduction in precipitation in more than 30%.

In Peninsula de Setubal wine region, Portugal, farmers always have feared downey mildew. However, with this change on climate, diseases started to be less frequent and problems and concerns with pests have increased. Besides the new dynamics on frequent pests, new ones have appeared producing unexpected damages and creating new difficulties on how to control them. More over, the remove and ban of active substances led farmers to more difficulties to stop their progression. AVIPE has been testing and implementing trials to alternatives to chemical insecticides but results have been weak.

To better understand the presence and relation between insects, AVIPE has performed a e-dna analysis for 2 years to assess the importance of production methods, organic or integrated pest management (IPM), distances to ecological corridors and presence of insects on ground or on leaves. Besides the accountability by species, it was possible to have a better pictures with insects’ orders and their functional groups.

Resulst have showned less insects on organic plot than in IPM, more insects on leaves on the ground than on the vine and similiar number according to distance below or above 100m to the ecological corridors.

This study will continue in the coming years and they will be supported by c-dna analysis.

Such results should make us discussed the dynamics of insects and agricutural practices but always involve farmers for better and quicker dissemination and transfer.