<p class="Body">Phytoseiid mites under different vineyard managements in the subregions of Lima and Cávado of the Vinho Verde region in Portugal

Abstract

Knowledge about phytoseiid species associated with vines is a preliminary step in the development and implementation of integrated management strategies against phytophagous mites such as Panonychus ulmi. The aim of this study was to perform a comparative survey of phytoseiids present in abandoned, organically managed, and conventionally managed vineyards, as well as to compare ecological indices in these production systems. Samplings were conducted between July and September 2017 in vineyards situated in the Subregions of Lima and Cávado, the Vinho Verde region. A total of 50 leaves/vineyard were collected from 12 vineyards, kept in containers at low temperature and taken to Escola Superior Agrária-Instituto Politécnico Viana do Castelo to be screened under a stereoscope microscope. A total of 3.153 phytoseiid mites were sampled, belonging to eight species distributed across the vineyards analyzed. The most common species were Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pyri (45.7%), Kampimodromus aberrans (39%), and Phytoseius macropilis (8.7%). Higher richness occurred in abandoned vineyards, with seven species, and the most abundant were K. aberrans (46.5%) and T. (T.) pyri (28.9%). Only two predatory species were present (in similar proportions) in organically managed vineyards, T. (T.) pyri and K. aberrans, while T. (T.) pyri predominated in conventionally managed vineyards (93.8%). Kampimodromus aberrans, P. macropilis, and T. (T.) pyri were eudominant in abandoned vineyards while K. aberrans and T. (T.) pyri were eudominant in organic vineyards. Typhlodromus (T.) pyri was eudominant and T. (T.) exhilaratus was dominant in conventionally managed vineyards. Therefore, we might conclude that phytoseiid abundance significantly differs among vineyard management types, with higher ecological indices in abandoned vineyards, and lower indices in conventional managed vineyards in the northern region of Portugal.

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

“…Both phytoseiid and tydeoid mite populations were greater in vineyards under integrated than under organic management. Our findings in Austrian vineyards contrasted with other studies, which showed that phytoseiid mite populations benefited from organic management [ 48 , 49 ]. An explanation for these opposing results could be related to the country-specific pesticide applications, which were higher in organic than integrated vineyards in Austria compared to a recent study in French vineyards with the opposite situation [ 33 ].…”

“…The main reason for the higher application frequency in organic vineyards compared to conventional ones in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland is the use of copper and sulfur instead of synthetic fungicides against mildew fungus diseases. Several other studies clearly demonstrated that phytoseiid and tydeoid mite densities were higher in vineyards without pesticide application compared to pesticide-treated vineyards [ 48 , 49 , 120 , 121 ]. In Germany, phytoseiid mite populations increased when the fungicide applications were reduced [ 119 , 122 ].…”

“…Natural enemy populations are strongly affected by pesticide use. Organic vineyards were found to exhibit higher population densities and species richness of phytoseiid mites compared with conventional vineyards in Italy [ 48 ] and Portugal [ 49 ]. Along the same line, organic vineyards had a higher abundance of arthropod predators compared to conventional vineyards in Italy [ 50 ] and also showed a higher and stable predation rate of the grape berry moth in France [ 51 ].…”

Could phytoseiid mites impair biological control of the invasive plant, Ailanthus altissima?

“…This mite is considered tolerant to pesticides compared to other species usually found in the same environment, such as Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) and Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Argolo et al 2014). Nonetheless, E. stipulatus has only been found in preserved vineyards environments (Silva et al 2019). Several studies provided information on the occurrence of predatory mites on plants.…”

“…Euseius stipulatus (Athias-Henriot) is a generalist species, capable of developing when feeding on pollen as alternative food (McMurtry et al 2013). This species has already been reported in Italy (Ragusa and Swirski 1976), Spain (Ferragut et al 1988), and Portugal (Silva et al 2019) in environments with temperate climate environments, where it provides a significant level of control of Panonychus ulmi (Koch) (Rodrigues 2005).…”