The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug ... · The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug, Planococcus ﬁcus and its main parasitoid, Anagyrus

The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug,

Planococcus ficus and its main parasitoid, Anagyrus sp. nr.

pseudococci in Douro Wine Region

Fátima Gonçalves, Cristina Carlos, Susana Sousa, Márcio Nóbrega, José C. Franco,

José Manso, António Pinto, Laura Torres

Introduction

The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus and its main parasitoid, Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci

in Douro Wine Region

- Transmission of Grapevine Leafroll Viruses

- Vine decay - directly due to its feeding activity

- indirectly due to the honeydew contamination of leaves and grape

clusters and development of sooty mold

Vine mealybug (VMB) Planococcus ficus

Usually it overwinters in trunk (under the bark )Biology



It can be also go on vine roots

and weeds

During spring and early summer, mealybugs move to shoots, leaves and clusters



- During the summer, P. ficus can complete its life cycle in 3 to 4 weeks, causing a

rapid development of populations

The development of VMB is extremelly dependent on temperature

Eggs

Scrawler (L1)

Adult female

Pré-pupae

Male

. Changes in cultural practices, insecticides, natural enemies, weather



. Some vineyards are located in favourable micro-climatic

conditions (near the river, slopes, different sun expositions)

. Presence of other host plants of the pest on the edges of vineyards

(ex. Malus domestica, Cydonia oblonga, Salix spp.)

Why VMB are becoming a problem in Douro Valley?

Fonte: CAOP, 2004. Carta Land Corine Cover, 2000, Atlas do Ambiente Digital, 2005. PIOT – ADV, 2001

� 3 sub-regions in Douro Demarcated Region (DDR)

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Mêda

Murça

Alijó

Lamego

ArmamarTabuaço

M. Frio

Sabrosa

P. Régua

Vila RealVila Flor

C. Ansiães

F. E. Cinta

T. Moncorvo

V. N. Foz-Côa

S. J. Pesqueira

S. M. Penaguião

0 10 20 305

Km

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RDD - Sub Regions

Baixo Corgo

Cima Corgo

Douro Superior

Vineyard spot*

Main rivers

Locations

Area

Demarcated Douro Region 250 000 Ha

Surface with Vineyards 45 202 Ha (18%)

Lower Corgo

Upper Corgo Upper Douro

45 000 ha (14 082 Ha vineyards)

95 000 Ha (20 905 ha vineyards)

110 000 ha (10 215 Ha vineyards)

Surface / grower : 1,3 Ha

Porto

directionSpain

direction



Introduction

source: WorldClim Database (Hijmans et al. 2005) in Jones , 2012



Introduction

Baixo Corgo Douro Superior

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sept

14,9 17,3 20,8 23,2 23,2 20,7 16,5 19,2 24 26,4 26,5 22,8

Mean temperature (ºC) during growing season for a serie of 30 years (1931-1960)

source: WorldClim Database (Hijmans et al. 2005) in Jones , 2012



Objectives

1) Monitoring of flight curve of P. ficus males using pheromone traps baited with the

synthetic female sex pheromone ((S)-lavandulyl senecioate).

2) Study of the kairomonal attraction of the females of

Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci (the main parasitoid of P. ficus) to

the same pheromone traps and pheromone

P. ficus male

Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci

Fonte: CAOP, 2004. Carta Land Corine Cover, 2000, Atlas do Ambiente Digital, 2005. PIOT – ADV, 2001

Material & Methods – Experiment locations

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Mêda

Murça

Alijó

Lamego

ArmamarTabuaço

M. Frio

Sabrosa

P. Régua

Vila RealVila Flor

C. Ansiães

F. E. Cinta

T. Moncorvo

V. N. Foz-Côa

S. J. Pesqueira

S. M. Penaguião

0 10 20 305

Km

!

RDD - Sub Regions

Baixo Corgo

Cima Corgo

Douro Superior

Vineyard spot*

Main rivers

Locations

Baixo Corgo(Lower Corgo)

Douro Superior (Upper Douro)

Porto

directionSpain

direction

Cima Corgo(Upper Corgo)





Quinta do Vallado (Baixo Corgo)

. Vineyard with 1,32 Ha, 17 years old, located near two rivers (Douro and Corgo)

. Long history of infestation. In the harvest of 2012, 40% of bunches were infested (even

after an insecticide treatment). In January of 2013, 24% of vines were infested.

. Very vigorous vines

. Touriga Franca variety

Material and methods



Material and methodsQuinta do Arnozelo, Douro Superior

. Vineyard with 1,73 Ha, 13 years old, located near the Douro river.

. In the harvest of 2012, 16% of bunches were infested. In December of 2012, 36% of

vines were infested.

. Little vigorous vines

. Touriga Franca variety



• Traps were installed:

- in 21st March in Quinta do Vallado

- in 11th April in Quinta do Arnozelo

Material and methods

• Traps were checked weekly (data presented

in captures / day)



Quinta do Vallado Quinta do ArnozeloInsecticide

treatment

HarvestHarvest

. The first capture of P. ficus occurred in mid-May (Vallado: 16/05, Arnozelo: 10/05)

1st capture

. In Vallado, it was found three evident peaks that, though the overlapping of generations,

could each one, to correspond to a peak of one generation

. The number of captures per trap were higher in Vallado than in Arnozelo

1st capture

Results and discussion



Quinta do ValladoQuinta do Arnozelo

Parasitoid, Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci

. The first captures of A. sp. nr. pseudococci females in the pheromone traps

occurred at the end of April in Arnozelo and in mid-May in Vallado

. The trend of the wasp captures followed a similar pattern to the one observed

for P. ficus males

Insecticide

treatment

HarvestHarvest



Diferences in climate conditions between the two sub-regions under study

• Accumulated rainfall in Douro Superior, was

significantly lower than in Baixo Corgo

• In Douro Superior the monthly mean temp. and

number of days with temp > 35,6ºC (upper

threshold ) were higher than in Baixo Corgo



Conclusions

. In Douro Wine Region, first captures of P. ficus males occurs in late

spring (mid-May).

. Depending on the sub-region, the insect can develop, apparently, 3 or

4 complete generations, reflected by the peaks recorded by pheromone

traps.

. Females of Anagyrus sp. nr. pseudococci showed a kairomonal

attraction to the pheromone, being also captured in the pheromone

traps

. VMB was less abundant in the dryer warmer sub-region (Douro Superior)

. The next step will be to understand if captures in pheromone traps can

be well correlated with P. ficus densities, determined by visual sampling

methods.



Thank you for your attention!

Documents

The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug ... · The use of pheromone traps to monitoring the vine mealybug, Planococcus ﬁcus and its main parasitoid, Anagyrus