Agriculture is a major driver of global biodiversity loss. Species assemblages in agricultural landscapes are shaped by regional climate and landscape structure as well as local management practices such as organic farming. However, how these multiscale filters interact to affect arthropod communities and the related ecosystem services in vineyard-dominated landscapes remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of organic and conventional vineyard management on canopy-dwelling arthropods and natural pest control across three European countries with different climatic conditions and landscape structures: Austria, France, and Spain. As expected, the effects of organic management varied markedly between countries. Positive and consistent effects were observed in France, where conventional viticulture is characterized by comparably frequent insecticide treatments. In Spain, only isolated positive effects of organic farming were observed. Conversely, benefits of conventional management were found in Austria, where pest management was dominated by frequent fungicide treatments in organic vineyards. The impact of interrow vegetation cover and diversity varied markedly among arthropod assemblages and countries, whereas the proximity and proportion of woody semi-natural habitats consistently conferred benefits, with particularly strong effects observed in Spain. Additionally, the combined influence of local management practices and landscape composition underscores the importance of context-specific strategies for biodiversity conservation and pest control across different regions. The contrasting effects observed across different regions necessitate a strategic prioritisation of organic viticulture in areas where its benefits are most pronounced. In addition, viticulture should prioritize solutions for harmful practices, such as planting fungus-resistant varieties where fungal diseases require frequent fungicide applications. Generally, it is crucial to implement locally tailored agricultural practices and habitat management to ensure sustainable agriculture and ecological resilience.

Concerns about insect decline have motivated the monitoring of terrestrial arthropods, often using Malaise traps. Since the types of Malaise trap vary widely, it is essential to understand the diff erences in the resulting number and composition of the arthropod catch. In this study, we compared the performance of two types of Malaise trap in capturing arthropods for biodiversity monitoring and ecological studies. We placed Bartak and SLAM traps in a paired design at increasing distances from a forest edge in vineyards in southwestern Germany. We measured arthropod biomass and used metabarcoding for species identification. Bartak traps caught 7.5 times higher biomass, but only 1.5 times more species compared to the SLAM traps. There was a signifi cant difference in species composition, whereby highly mobile flying insect species, such as those in the order Diptera, strongly dominated the Bartak traps and ground-dwelling arthropods were better represented in SLAM traps. With increasing distance to the forest edge, species richness decreased similarly in both trap types. Our study shows that differences in trapping efficiency must be taken into account when comparing results from diff erent, and that trap types can be chosen according to the focus of each study. Nevertheless, both trap types were able to detect the biodiversity pattern in our landscape in a similar way.

Biodiversity erosion is a key challenge that requires major adaptations in land use for sustainable agriculture. Globally, vineyards are among the most intensive farming systems with negative impacts on biodiversity and associated ecosystem services (ES). Nature-based solutions need to reconcile biodiversity conservation with grape production from the field to the landscape scale. In this study, we conducted a hierarchical global meta-analysis to assess the impact of various practices related to extensive management such as establishing vegetation cover, organic farming or low pesticide use on biodiversity and ES. Our analysis is based on 822 datasets extracted from 221 articles. Overall, extensive management increased biodiversity and ES provision by 14.2 % in comparison to more intensive practices. While provisioning ES, such as grape quantity and quality, showed heterogeneous reponses, biodiversity and most other ES benefited from maintaining vegetation cover in vineyards. We identified the strongest positive response to extensive management in carbon sequestration (+37.8 %), followed by erosion control (+26.4 %), soil fertility (+19.9 %), and pest control (+16.4 %). Our analysis revealed that farming practices modulated the effects of extensive management, with high-diversity cover crops enhancing, and herbicide use diminishing, the beneficial impact on biodiversity and ES. Maintaining semi-natural habitats in the landscape significantly boosted the positive effect of extensive management on pest control. Finally, organic management reduced grape yield by 20 % but it did not affect grape quality. Nature-based solutions in viticulture should be based on extensive vegetation management, diverse cover-crops and low pesticide use combined with significant amounts of semi-natural habitats in the landscape, while minimising yield loss.

Climate warming can be a powerful driver for the establishment and further spread of alien species by lowering the abiotic resistance of native ecosystems and supporting invaders. One pivotal outcome of climate warming is more frequent heat waves in summer in temperate regions. Here, we combined heat-stress experiments (development, fecundity) and incidence data of the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, from two Austrian vine-growing areas differing in their regional climate (Illyrian vs. Pannonian climate). We used corresponding climatic data (ice and hot days) and landscape elements (forests) to evaluate whether regional-specific climate warming effects influence the distribution of SWD. Laboratory results showed that SWD is a heat-sensitive species, with negligible survival under moderate and extreme heat waves. Under field conditions, the incidence of SWD in Austrian vineyards and the availability of surrounding forests were higher in the Illyrian than in the Pannonian climate zone. Climate warming resulted in fewer ice days in both climate zones, but the frequency of hot days has increased more strongly in the Pannonian zone over the last few decades. We conclude that forested areas near vineyards can serve as refugia both in winter and during hot summer periods. Consequently, the lower incidence of SWD in the Pannonian zone correlates with hotter summers due to climate warming and limited access to nearby forested areas. These findings highlight the urgent need for regionally tailored pest management strategies that account for the complex interplay among climate extremes, landscape features and invasive species dynamics.

ABSTRACTIn agricultural landscapes, the removal of semi‐natural habitats (SNH) and the intensive use of pesticides contribute to declines of biodiversity, including crop pollinators such as bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). However, effects of pesticide use and landscape characteristics on bees have rarely been studied together. In this study, we investigated how SNH in the surrounding landscape, organic and conventional management, and the reduction of fungicides affect wild bee diversity in 32 vineyards in southwest Germany. We used yellow pan traps to sample bees in a crossed design of management (organic vs. conventional) and fungicide use (reduced in fungus‐resistant grape varieties vs. regular) along a gradient with increasing proportions of SNH in the surrounding landscape. Higher proportions of SNH influenced species composition of bees and increased the abundance and richness of above‐ground‐nesting species. Organic vineyards had a 49% higher abundance of bees compared to conventional vineyards. The reduction of fungicides did not affect bee diversity nor abundance. The absence of a response to fungicide intensity suggests that the benefit of organically managed vineyards to wild bees was through differences in their vegetation management, which is in line with the positive response of bees to SNH in the surrounding landscape. Synthesis and applications: Our study underlines that the local provision of diverse vegetation in vineyards and the landscape‐scale provision of suitable SNH are key factors for wild bee conservation in viticulture.

Spiders are the most abundant naturally occurring predators in vineyards and play a crucial role in natural pest control. However, vineyards are frequently sprayed with fungicides, which can harm spider communities. Fungus-resistant grape varieties can drastically reduce this fungicide input. The spiders on grape vines that were sprayed with a variable number of fungicide applications in 32 vineyards in different landscapes in Southwestern Germany were recorded. Vineyards received between 0 and 14 fungicidal sprays of varying toxicity (cumulated hazard quotients for honeybee up to 6). The majority of spiders benefited from a reduction in the number fungicide sprays, particularly Dictynidae, Philodromidae, Theridiidae and Thomisidae. Overall, space web weavers, orb web weavers and ambush hunters were most strongly affected by the frequency and toxicity of fungicide applications. The response of spiders to the landscape were highly variable and included both positive and negative effects of the percentage cover of woodland. In conclusion, reducing the cumulative hazard of fungicides by reducing the number of fungicide applications is a key element in fostering spiders in vineyards.

Grape berry moths, particularly Lobesia botrana Denis & Schifferm & uuml;ller (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and vinegar flies, such as Drosophila melanogaster Meigen and Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), are important vineyard pests, causing severe quality loss of grapes. Several arthropod taxa may be involved in the natural control of these pests. However, the role of arthropod predators in the natural control of vineyard pests remains unclear. We investigated 32 vineyards in the Palatinate region, southwest Germany, under organic and conventional management, which in both cases received either full or reduced fungicide applications (2 x 2 design). Predation of L. botrana eggs and pupae and D. melanogaster pupae on sentinel cards exposed in the vineyards was observed with infrared cameras. In total, nine predator taxa could be identified. The most dominant predator was the European earwig, Forficula auricularia L. (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), with 90% of all predation events. We conclude that F. auricularia is likely a key predator of vineyard pests, and that special attention should be paid to maintain it at high population densities.

Conservation measures such as those under the European Green Deal aim to counteract the biodiversity loss by increasing the share of organic farming and reducing pesticide use, as well as increasing the proportion of semi-natural habitats (SNH) in agricultural landscapes. Given the large environmental impacts of agriculture, it is important to thoroughly understand effects of such measures on organisms to provide evidence-based and effective implications for conservation. In this study, we analysed how vineyard management, pesticide reduction, and landscape composition affect Orthoptera densities and species composition. Therefore, we sampled herb- and vine-dwelling orthopterans in a paired design of classic and fungus-resistant grape (FRG) varieties in conventionally and organically managed vineyards along a landscape heterogeneity gradient. Here, FRG varieties allowed us to study the effect of 44% reduced pesticide applications under real-world conditions. Total densities of herb-dwelling Orthoptera did not differ between grape varieties in conventional vineyards, but were 2.9 times higher in FRG varieties under organic management. In contrast, total densities of vine-dwelling Orthoptera, mainly driven by the dominant species Phaneroptera falcata , were similar between grape varieties in organic vineyards, but tended to be 1.4 times higher in classic grapes under conventional management. Furthermore, the management system and SNH in a radius of 500 m in the surrounding landscape influenced species composition.

Biodiversity loss is a main challenge for agricultural sustainability. Major drivers include local management and landscape simplification. Therefore, conservation measures aim to increase organic agriculture, reduce pesticide use, and increase the proportion of semi-natural habitats (SNH). Yet, it is important to understand the effects of such measures. We investigate how arthropod biomass, taxa richness, and community composition in Malaise trap samples are affected by organic management, pesticide use, and SNH in the landscape. The 32 studied vineyards were chosen in a crossed design of management (organic vs. conventional) and pesticide use (regular vs. reduced) along a gradient of landscape composition. Pesticide reduction by 55% was obtained by including half of the vineyards with fungus-resistant grape (FRG) varieties. Malaise trap samples were weighed and arthropods identified using metabarcoding. Surprisingly, biomass was almost one-third higher in conventionally managed vineyards compared to organic ones. Taxa richness increased by more than one third when the proportion of SNH in a radius of 1,000 m in the surrounding landscape increased from zero to 50%. Diptera richness tended to be 4% higher in conventionally managed vineyards and the richness of Hymenoptera was 9% higher in FRG varieties. Community composition changed with the proportion of SNH and differed between organic and conventional management. Overall, organic viticulture was not effective to enhance the arthropod community, which was dominated by flying insects in our study. Agricultural policies should therefore rather preserve and promote SNH in the surrounding in order to promote arthropod biodiversity in viticultural landscapes.

BACKGROUNDPesticides are considered main contributors to global arthropod declines and therefore may decrease the provision of ecosystem services such as natural pest control. Organic farming and cultivating pest- and disease-resistant varieties can allow pesticide applications and their impacts on nontarget organisms and the environment to be reduced. We investigated the effects of organic versus conventional management and fungus-resistant versus susceptible wine grape varieties on arthropod biodiversity and pest control of grape berry moths in 32 vineyards in the Palatinate region, Germany. Hazard quotients of applied pesticides were calculated for each vineyard. RESULTSThe cultivation of fungus-resistant varieties led to significantly reduced hazard quotients and in turn enhanced abundances of natural enemies, particularly theridiid and philodromid spiders. Unexpectedly, organic management resulted in higher hazard quotients than conventional management and reduced numbers of natural enemies, particularly earwigs. Pest predation rates showed no significant differences between grape varieties or management types. CONCLUSIONWidespread benefits of organic management on arthropod biodiversity found in other crops were absent in our viticultural study region. This is likely due to the dominant role of fungal diseases in viticulture, which requires high numbers of fungicide treatments under both conventional and organic viticulture. Thus, fungicide reduction through the cultivation of fungus-resistant grape varieties is one key element to fostering the abundance of arthropods in general and beneficial arthropods in particular. Beyond vineyards, this is potentially relevant in numerous other crop types. (c) 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

: Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), commonly known as the European grape - vine moth (EGVM), is a primary pest of vineyards. This article provides an updated review of its monitoring, model - ling, and management tools. EGVM management strategies analysed here include insecticide-based control, insecticide resistance, side-effects (particularly those caused by the exposure to sublethal doses of pesticides), cultural control, sterile insect technique, pheromone-mediated control strategies (with special reference to pheromone-based mating disruption), biological control, and area-wide control programs. Lastly, we outline significant challenges for future EGVM research and sustainable control implementation.

Sustainable land use in agricultural landscapes is essential to counteract the global decline of biodiversity, as well to ensure ecosystem services like natural pest control. Phytoseiid mites are key natural enemies of pest mites in vineyards but how local management and landscape context affect phytoseiid mites remains poorly known. In this study, we examined the effects of farming systems, inter-row management and landscape composition on phytoseiid mite communities in 156 vineyards across five European wine-growing regions. Our results showed that phytoseiid communities were mainly dominated by one or two phytoseiid species across Europe and that local management was a major factor affecting population densities. According to the wine-growing regions, phytoseiid mite densities benefited from integrated pest management or conventional farming compared to organic farming and from spontaneous vegetation cover compared to seeded cover crops. Moreover, mite densities benefited from increasing proportions of vineyards at the landscape scale. The farming systems effects were most likely related to the positive impact of the lower pesticide use in integrated and conventional vineyards. The positive effect of spontaneous vegetation cover could be related to a better supply of nutritive pollen as food resource compared to seeded cover crops, which depends on the plant species in the inter-row. Our findings indicated accordingly that a reduced pesticide use, and inter-row management are crucial factors for promoting pest control by predatory mites in European vineyards. Moreover, the proportion of viticultural area in the landscape is a considerable factor to retain stable phytoseiid mite populations.

For reliable pest suppression, benefits of habitat management for natural enemies of agricultural pests need to be consistent over time. Unfortunately, most research projects allow only for one or two years of data collection. Here, we present a five-year study on effects of fungicide reduction and altered plant architecture on arthropod abundances and natural pest control in an experimental vineyard. The vineyard rows were divided into eight groups, half of which were trained in vertical shoot position (“trellis system”) and the other half as semi-minimal pruned hedge (“minimal pruning”). Every row was divided in three sections receiving three different plant protection intensities, respectively, with fungicides certified for organic viticulture. In each year we sampled arthropods from the grapevine canopy by standardized leaf collection and beat-sheet sampling, and exposed baits of a major grapevine pest ( Lobesia botrana ) to assess natural pest control. Arthropods, in particular predators, benefited from reduced fungicide sprayings and in turn promoted natural pest control. In contrast, effects of minimal pruning were less strong, and restricted to the leaf mesofauna, earwigs and leafhoppers. Across the five study years with their variable weather conditions, we conclude that the advantages of reduced fungicide sprayings in fungus-resistant varieties are consistent over time.

Though the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermuller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) can feed on more than forty plant species, grapevine is the preferred crop worldwide. This moth is a western palearctic species that has recently spread to Chile, Argentina, and California. The possible further expansion in other regions of the Americas is greatly feared and should be monitored carefully in the near future. In this framework, we provide an updated review of the current knowledge on its taxonomy, morphology, biology, ecology, genomics, geographic distribution, and invasive- ness. Then, in the last section, we develop a research agenda pointing out significant challenges for future investigations on bio-ecology and invasion biology, which are tightly connected with the prevention and management strategies.

Risk assessments of chemical pesticides toward natural enemies are crucial for ensuring sustainable grapevine-integrated pest management. In this context, laboratory experiments were conducted to evaluate the toxicity of four insecticides (lambda-cyhalothrin, flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and cyantraniliprole) and one fungicide (spiroxamine) commonly applied in German (European) vineyards on the pupae and adults of both Anagyrus vladimiri, a parasitoid of the vine mealybug Planococcus ficus, and Trichogramma evanescens, a parasitoid of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana. The tested pesticides did not significantly affect the development of the pupal stage inside mealybug mummies or the emergence of the parasitoid A. vladimiri. The pesticides flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and spiroxamine resulted in the highest mortality percentages for all emerged A. vladimiri parasitoids at 8 and 10 days after treatment compared with either in lambda-cyhalothrin or cyantraniliprole. However, all pesticides, except the diamide insecticide cyantraniliprole, significantly affected the development of the pupal stage and the emergence of the parasitoid T. evanescens. The percentages of T. evanescens emergence following the application of the fungicide spiroxamine or either lambda-cyhalothrin or flupyradifurone were significantly higher than those observed in the acetamiprid treatment. Regarding direct contact toxicity, the highest percentages (100%) of A. vladimiri adult parasitoid mortality were obtained in the flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and spiroxamine treatments, while the lowest mortality percentages were observed in lambda-cyhalothrin, cyantraniliprole, and untreated control treatments. According to the IOBC classes of toxicity, flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and spiroxamine were classified as harmful, while both lambda-cyhalothrin and cyantraniliprole were classified as slightly harmful to A. vladimiri adults. As such, all pesticides had a significant impact on the survival of exposed T. evanescens adults. The highest percentages of adult T. evanescens mortality were obtained in the flupyradifurone, acetamiprid, and spiroxamine treatments, with the fungicide spiroxamine resulting in significantly higher mortality percentages than either flupyradifurone or acetamiprid, while the lowest mortality percentages were found in the lambda-cyhalothrin and cyantraniliprole treatments. Therefore, applying the insecticides acetamiprid and/or flupyradifurone and the fungicide spiroxamine should be avoided when A. vladimiri and/or T. evanescens are naturally present or released in grapes. The insights gained from these two easy-to-rear parasitoid species allow analogous conclusions to be drawn for closely related species in vineyards belonging to either family Encyrtidae or Trichogrammatidae, which are not easy to rear. Interestingly, using the safer insecticides lambda-cyhalothrin and/or cyantraniliprole could be compatible with both parasitoid species, which could be sustainably exploited in either conservation or augmentative biological control in vineyards.

Ecosystem services and biodiversity in vineyards are strongly influenced through local edaphoclimatic factors, viticultural practices and landscape composition. Pest control by natural enemies is an important ecosystem service for wine production, contributing to the EU goal to reduce pesticide use by 50 % until 2030. Important natural enemies in this context are predatory mites which are effective in controlling pest mites on vines. In this study, we investigated predatory and pest mite densities in 156 vineyards across five European wine-growing regions ranging from southern Spain to central Romania differing in respect to pesticide use, farming types, inter-row management and landscape composition. We hypothesized that (i) intensive viticultural management practices (e.g. high usage of pesticides and/or intensive vegetation management) would decrease predatory mite populations as well as species richness and that (ii) higher proportions of semi-natural habitats at the landscape scale may mitigate the negative effects of intensive management on predatory mites. Our results showed that only one or two predatory mite species dominated their community composition in the respective wine-growing regions. Furthermore, the farming type was one major factor for predatory mite densities. Conventional and integrated farming resulted in higher population densities compared to organic farming in the Austrian and French study region. The effect of the farming type could be linked to the beneficial impact of a lower pesticide use and lower toxicity for predatory mites in conventional and integrated vineyards. Predatory mite densities also benefited more from spontaneous vegetation cover compared to seeded cover crops in the vineyard inter-row. The increased predatory mite densities in the vineyards with spontaneous vegetation cover could be related to a better supply of pollen as food resource in this inter-row management type compared to seeded cover crops. Contrary to our expectations, predatory mite densities benefited through an increased proportion of vineyards in the surrounding landscape. Our findings showed accordingly, that predatory mites as natural enemies in European vineyards could be promoted through a reduced use of pesticides and extensive vegetation management in the inter-rows. This findings should be considered for European agri-environmental programmes in viticulture to increase natural pest control and at the same time to reduce harmful pesticide use, thereby contributing to the EU pesticide reductions goals.

Am 07.04.2022 fand am Institut für Pflanzenschutz in Obst- und Weinbau in Siebeldingen ein Fachgespräch zur Rolle von Schild- und Schmierläusen als Virusvektoren im Weinbau am Oberrhein statt, in deme in Situationsbericht der Weinbaugebiete am Oberrhein sowie Management- und Beratungsempfehlungen erarbeitet warden sollten. Hierzu wir hier berichtet.

European viticultural landscapes not only support a significant share of rural livelihoods and cultural traditions, but also conserve biodiversity and sustain various ecosystem services. Winegrowers' practices of inter-row management (including whether to have vegetation in the inter-rows, type of vegetation, duration of vegetation cover, and soil tillage) and pesticide use (including herbicides in the inter-rows, fungicides, insecticides, and pheromone dispensers as an alternative) can affect these services. This study aims to understand winegrowers' decision-making driven by their personal characteristics, attitudes and beliefs towards viticultural practices, physical properties of vineyards, and farm management characteristics in five European winegrowing regions. These include Palatinate in Germany, Leithaberg in Austria, Tarnave in Romania, Bordeaux in France, and Montilla-Moriles in Spain. Based on a questionnaire survey, we constructed decision trees for each behaviour per case study as well as in a generic European model. We found factors that best explain how winegrowers manage their inter-rows and use pesticides. Results showed that not only do behaviours of winegrowers vary drastically across the case studies, but also the factors that explain most behaviours: farmers' attitudes and beliefs and farm management characteristics. This implies the importance of attitudes and beliefs – which are under-researched as compared to other factors – in understanding farmers' behaviour. With the driving factors found to vary per case study, our results also imply the need for locally-adapted policies. Furthermore, our results suggest that the effects of climate change on European viticultural landscapes concern not only shifting production regions and changes in yields, but also changing pressure of pests and diseases. Any long-term behavioural change requires efforts from many stakeholders.

Metabarcoding is a powerful tool for ecological studies and monitoring that might provide a solution to the time-consuming taxonomic identification of the vast diversity of insects. Here, we assess how ambient weather conditions during Malaise trap exposure and the effort of trapping affect biomass and taxa richness in vineyards. Biomass varied by more than twofold with weather conditions. It increased with warmer and drier weather but was not significantly related with wind or precipitation. Taxa richness showed a saturating relationship with increasing trapping duration and was influenced by environmental and seasonal effects. Taxa accumulation was high, increasing fourfold from three days of monthly trap exposure compared to continuous trapping and nearly sixfold from sampling at a single site compared to 32 sites. The limited saturation was mainly due to a large number of singletons, such as rare species, in the metabarcoding dataset. Metabarcoding can be key for long-term insect monitoring. We conclude that single traps operated for up to ten days per month are suitable to monitor the presence of common species. However, more intensive trapping is necessary for a good representation of rare species in biodiversity monitoring. The data collected here can potentially guide the design of monitoring studies.