Water availability is endangering the production, quality, and economic viability of growing wine grapes worldwide. Climate change projections reveal warming and drying trends for the upcoming decades, constraining the sustainability of viticulture. In this context, a great research effort over the last years has been devoted to understanding the effects of water stress on grapevine performance. Moreover, irrigation scheduling and other management practices have been tested in order to alleviate the deleterious effects of water stress on wine production. The current manuscript provides a comprehensive overview of the advances in the research on optimizing water management in vineyards, including the use of novel technologies (modeling, remote sensing). In addition, methods for assessing vine water status are summarized. Moreover, the manuscript will focus on the interactions between grapevine water status and biotic stressors. Finally, future perspectives for research are provided. These include the performance of multifactorial studies accounting for the interrelations between water availability and other stressors, the development of a cost-effective and easy-to-use tool for assessing vine water status, and the study of less-known cultivars under different soil and climate conditions.

No abstract

No abstract

Aphids are among the major pests associated with strawberries in Southern Brasil. In this study, we identified the main species that occur in strawberry fields in the states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. We also compared the effectiveness of different sampling methods and studied the population dynamics of aphid species during two strawberry crop cycles in the municipality of Pinhais, state of Paraná, Brasil. Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Cockerell) and Aphis forbesi Weed were the main species associated with strawberry. The method of hit plant and the Möericke trap showed equal effectiveness to capture wingless and winged insects. The peak population of aphids in the state of Paraná occurred from September to November. This information can help producers to implement strategies to monitor and control the major aphid species that occur in strawberry culture.

Increased production of the Cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana L.) in Brazil has given rise to interest in identifying the phytophagous species that might damage this crop to inform preventive control and integrated pest management strategies. In this study, we report the occurrence and describe the damage that larvae and adults of Lema bilineata Germar (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) cause in P. peruviana. The number of L. bilineata individuals, both larvae and adults, significantly affected the total consumption of P. peruviana leaves. We also report, for the first time, three natural enemies, including a fungus, a fly, and an ant, which are associated with this pest in Brazil and may play a role in biological control strategies.

The European pepper moth, Duponchelia fovealis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a key pest in strawberry production. Entomopathogenic fungi (EF) and parasitoids of the Trichogrammatidae family are effective biological control agents of this pest with the potential to be used jointly for improved efficacy. This study aims to evaluate the susceptibility of Trichogramma atopovirilia and Trichogramma pretiosum to two Beauveria bassiana strains (B2 and B3) and two commercial bioinsecticides (Bovemax® and Methamax®) by applying them to D. fovealis eggs in pre- and post-parasitism periods. Pre-parasitism application of B2 and B3 did not affect the percentage of D. fovealis eggs parasitized by either Trichogramma species, except in the case of T. atopovirilia when eggs were sprayed with B3 at 1.5 × 105 conidia mL−1 (16.7% less than the control). In contrast, eggs sprayed with 1.5 × 108 conidia mL−1 of the commercial bioinsecticides were not parasitized by any Trichogramma species. Overall, the EF tested reduced the parasitism rate, adult emergence, and longevity of Trichogramma adults by less than 30% in all cases. The adverse effects of the B. bassiana strains and commercial products on the biological traits of both Trichogramma species were minimal, meaning that these agents can be used jointly in D. fovealis control strategies.

No abstract

No abstract