Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is one of the most efficient, environmentally friendly, and low cost pest control winegrowers can use in the vineyard.
Disease and pest control is essential when it comes to growing grapes. Unfortunately, many winegrowers use chemicals too often and without consideration of the environment. According to the Environmental Working Group, grapes have one of the highest levels of pesticide residues, together with apples, peaches, strawberries, and nectarines. Pesticides are contaminating air, water, soil, plants, and animals, and cause the loss of biodiversity. Because of careless use, pests are becoming more and more resistant to pesticides. For effective pests and diseases prevention, comprehensive disease management is crucial. One of the efficient and environmentally friendly pest control options is Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
The infographic below nicely explains the importance and strategy of Integrated Pest Management.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practice in vineyard reduces the risk of disease and the development of the resistant isolates, increases yield, saves the environment and most importantly, saves winegrower time and money.
The first step in IPM practice is planting a variety which grows best in a particular environment. In connection with the chosen variety, vine training and pruning methods should be introduced. Integrated Pest Management in the vineyard includes also different canopy management practices such as cluster thinning, leaf trimming, leaf thinning, shoot thinning, etc. as well as a soil treatment. All this work can moderate, if not even prevent, grapevine disease infections, and pest colonization. In case when the disease does occur, it’s important to correctly identify the symptoms. Most common vine diseases around the world are fungal diseases. Each of these diseases develops under certain environmental conditions. That’s why weather monitoring is essential to determine the infection time to protect grapevines. There are several helpful weather monitoring tools available on the market – from websites to weather stations, one of them is also a eVineyard app.
Read also: Decision support system for integrated pest management in the vineyard
If protective spraying is necessary it should be based on disease occurrences, weather conditions, and environmentally friendly practice. When spraying with chemicals, it’s important to follow the producer instructions, pay attention to the drift, and prevention of the resistance isolation.
Following Integrated Pest Management practices winegrowers can produce better grapes, preserve the environment, and even reduce costs.
Winegrowers are you using Integrated Pest Management in your vineyards?
Sources:
Pesticides; GRACE
IPM Options for Fungal Greap Disease Management; Mizuho Nita, Ph. D.
Infographic: IPM; European Crop Protection
Featured image: Maintaining long-term management; California Agriculture journal
