The Use of Habitat Management, Elicitors and Augmentation to Improve Biological Control in Vineyard

Nowadays, pesticides represent the most common tool used to control pests in agriculture. Because of the detrimental effects both on environment and human health related to chemical defence strategies, more ecological approaches need to be tested. My dissertation aims to evaluate some sustainable biological control strategies in vineyard. Natural enemy (Anagyrus vladimiri Triapitsyn (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)) were released against mealybugs (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) and the role of tending ants was investigated in beneficial-mealybug-ant tritrophic relation. Habitat management approaches were adopted to mitigate Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) infestation and enhance beneficial activity. Finally, silica gel, a silicon-derived compound, was tested to study its potential role in eliciting plant defence response, including parasitoid attraction. Field trials were carried out in Northern Italy, in important viticultural areas of Lambrusco and Pignoletto wines. Results showed the great potentiality of A. vladimiri and C. montrouzieri in controlling both Planococcus ficus (Signoret) and Pseudococcus comstocki Kuwana infestation. The use of sugar dispensers to disrupt ant activity increased ecosystem services and reduced mealybug infestation. Ground cover management did not reduce L. botrana infestation, but it boosted parasitoid biodiversity. Finally, the treatments with silica gel enhanced the attraction towards three important Hymenoptera parasitoid families: Mymaridae, Encyrtidae and Braconidae. In conclusion, these strategies showed a potential both in suppressing pest infestation and enhancing natural enemy activity and attraction. Further studies should focus on combining environmentally-friendly practices, creating a synergistic effect which has the potentiality to reduce or even avoid insecticide treatments in some vineyard context.