Native cover crops enhance arthropod diversity in vineyards of the Cape Floristic Region

Eckert, Michelle; Mathulwe, Letodi Luki; Gaigher, René; Merwe, Lize Joubert-van der; Pryke, James S.

doi:10.1007/s10841-019-00196-0

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…Spontaneous vegetation consists of plant communities that are adapted to the local conditions with a high proportion of native plants. Two recent studies showed that native cover crops enhanced arthropod diversity [ 30 ] and native grasses increased natural enemy abundance [ 129 ] in vineyards. Cover crops in general are also important because they provide pollen on vine leaves for phytoseiid [ 40 , 43 , 46 , 47 , 130 ] and tydeoid mites [ 44 , 45 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Decreasing management intensity with temporary or permanent vegetation cover in the inter-rows increases plant species richness [ 19 , 20 ], which is beneficial for insect–flower interactions [ 25 ] and results in diverse arthropod populations [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. Native cover crops in particular enhance plant-dwelling arthropod diversity in vineyards compared to exotic cover crops [ 30 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Unexpected Effects of Local Management and Landscape Composition on Predatory Mites and Their Food Resources in Vineyards

Möth

Walzer

Redl

et al. 2021

Insects

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Viticultural practices and landscape composition are the main drivers influencing biological pest control in vineyards. Predatory mites, mainly phytoseiid (Phytoseiidae) and tydeoid mites (Tydeidae), are important to control phytophagous mites (Tetranychidae and Eriophyidae) on vines. In the absence of arthropod prey, pollen is an important food source for predatory mites. In 32 paired vineyards located in Burgenland/Austria, we examined the effect of landscape composition, management type (organic/integrated), pesticide use, and cover crop diversity of the inter-row on the densities of phytoseiid, tydeoid, and phytophagous mites. In addition, we sampled pollen on vine leaves. Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten was the main phytoseiid mite species and Tydeus goetzi Schruft the main tydeoid species. Interestingly, the area-related acute pesticide toxicity loading was higher in organic than in integrated vineyards. The densities of phytoseiid and tydeoid mites was higher in integrated vineyards and in vineyards with spontaneous vegetation. Their population also profited from an increased viticultural area at the landscape scale. Eriophyoid mite densities were extremely low across all vineyards and spider mites were absent. Biological pest control of phytophagous mites benefits from less intensive pesticide use and spontaneous vegetation cover in vineyard inter-rows, which should be considered in agri-environmental schemes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unexpected Effects of Local Management and Landscape Composition on Predatory Mites and Their Food Resources in Vineyards

Möth

Walzer

Redl

et al. 2021

Insects

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Contrastingly, L. botrana egg predation rates were higher in Germany in an experimental vineyard sown with flower-rich cover-crops compared to spontaneous vegetation [ 33 ]. Native cover-crop species enhanced arthropod diversity in South African vineyards [ 26 ] and natural enemy abundance and predation on light brown apple moth in Australia [ 63 ]. Furthermore, predator abundances of spiders, earwigs, and ants are negatively affected by tillage intensity [ 24 , 64 , 65 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, it can be expected that natural pest control is enhanced in vineyards sown with diverse cover-crop mixtures. However, it may be important to distinguish the effects of cover-crop mixtures relative to bare ground or relative to spontaneous vegetation in inter-rows as some authors showed higher arthropod diversity in vineyards with native ground cover [ 26 ]. Benefits of cover-crops over spontaneous vegetation have been studied less than their benefits relative to bare ground.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Farming and Cover-Crop Management Reduce Pest Predation in Austrian Vineyards

Reiff

Kolb

Entling

et al. 2021

Insects

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Habitat simplification and intensive use of pesticides are main drivers of global arthropod declines and are, thus, decreasing natural pest control. Organic farming, complex landscapes, and local vineyard management practices such as implementation of flower-rich cover-crop mixtures may be a promising approach to enhance predator abundance and, therefore, natural pest control. We examined the effect of organic versus integrated management, cover-crop diversity in the vineyard inter-rows, and landscape composition on the natural pest control of Lobesia botrana eggs and pupae. Predation of L. botrana pupae was reduced by organic farming and species-poor cover-crops by about 10%. Predation rates of L. botrana eggs did not differ significantly in any of the studied management options. Dominant predators were earwigs (Forficulidae), bush crickets (Tettigoniidae), and ants (Formicidae). Negative effects of organic viticulture are most likely related to the negative nontarget effects on arthropods related to the frequent sulfur and copper applications in combination with the avoidance of strongly damaging insecticides by integrated winegrowers. While a 10% difference in predation rates on a single pest stage is unlikely to have strong practical implications, our results show that the assumed effectiveness of environmentally friendly agriculture needs to be evaluated for specific crops and regions.

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“…The adoption of cover crops (CC) is a simple strategy of conservation agriculture that may improve vineyards sustainability [8][9][10]. Indeed, to date it is well known that CC enhances soil quality [3][4][5]8,9] and carbon sequestration [11], facilitating machinery passage [12] and increases microbial, vegetal and animal biodiversity [13][14][15][16]. CC have also proven to exploit a natural-based weed control effect [17,18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards

et al. 2021

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Enhancing vineyards sustainability and reducing herbicides usage is a crucial theme, thus alternative weed management methods are starting to be studied. Cover crops have been shown to provide for several environmental services such as performing an efficient weed control and promoting biodiversity, thus improving the sustainability of the overall management system. However, the use of cover crops is usually confined to the interrow area in order to avoid competition with vines. Under-trellis weed management in vineyards is an important challenge, conventionally fulfilled by cultivation or repeated herbicides applications. Autonomous mowers are small autonomous machines that have shown a great efficiency when employed in agricultural contexts. Due to their reduced size, they can easily prevent the excessive vertical growth of weeds both in the interrows and under trellis without the use of chemical applications. The aim of this trial was to evaluate if the combination of cover crop species and autonomous mowers management could improve vineyard sustainability. Vineyard floor cover that was managed with an autonomous mower had a shorter canopy height and a lower weed dry biomass compared to the conventionally managed vineyard floor cover. Vineyard floor management providing cover crops and autonomous mowing had a significantly lower weed cover percentage compared to conventional floor management, especially under-trellis. The results of this trial suggest that the combination of cover crops and autonomous mowers may be a sustainable and reliable technique to include in vineyards floor management.

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Native cover crops enhance arthropod diversity in vineyards of the Cape Floristic Region

Cited by 16 publications

References 71 publications

Unexpected Effects of Local Management and Landscape Composition on Predatory Mites and Their Food Resources in Vineyards

Unexpected Effects of Local Management and Landscape Composition on Predatory Mites and Their Food Resources in Vineyards

Organic Farming and Cover-Crop Management Reduce Pest Predation in Austrian Vineyards

Autonomous Mowing and Complete Floor Cover for Weed Control in Vineyards

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