Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and Cryptoblabes gnidiella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) represent a threat to wine production in Mediterranean countries. In recent years, the development of new formulations promoted the spread of pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) as an effective tool for the management of several insect pests in different agricultural contexts. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of an experimental dispenser designed for simultaneous MD of these two pests. The biodegradable double-tube dispenser (Isonet® L CG-BIOX235) was tested for two years in two Italian wine-growing sites, the first in Apulia (Southern Italy), and the second in Tuscany (Central Italy). Isonet® L CG-BIOX235 efficacy was evaluated by testing different doses (i.e., 300, 400, and 500 dispensers/ha), on different varieties (i.e., Aglianico, Syrah, and Viognier), and comparing it with an untreated control. The MD performed using this dispenser significantly reduced the infestation of both L. botrana (i.e., percentage of infested bunches and number of nests per bunch) and C. gnidiella compared to the untreated control, although the occurrence of the latter fluctuated throughout the two-year trials. Overall, although our results underline the possibility of combining the pheromones of the two pests in a single dispenser for their simultaneous MD, they also highlight the need for further studies on some aspects of C. gnidiella biology and consequently improve the MD efficacy against this species.

Despite the great amount of information on the European Grapevine Moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), and the effective strategies available for its management, this moth remains the main key pest damaging grapevines in the Mediterranean and Central Europe wine-growing areas. Synthesizing and manipulating its sex pheromone components fostered the development of new dispensers to boost the effectiveness and sustainability of mating disruption (MD) programs. Recent MD research has highlighted that the effectiveness of aerosol emitters is comparable to that of passive dispensers when applied in large, uniform sites such as Spanish vineyards. However, aerosol emitters that are equally effective in geographical areas characterized by small-sized vineyards, typical of many Italian regions, have not received enough research attention. To face this challenge, herein the experimental aerosol emitter (product code: Isonet® L MISTERX843) was tested at three different application rates (i.e., 2, 3 and 4 units/ha) in three study sites, two in Tuscany (Central Italy in 2017 and 2018) and one in Emilia-Romagna (Northern Italy in 2017), respectively, for a total of five trials. To assess the efficacy of this novel MD aerosol emitter, three different application densities were compared with an untreated control and two grower's standards. The latter were represented by passive (Isonet® L TT) and active (Checkmate® Puffer® LB) release dispensers, already on the market for EGVM MD and applied at, respectively, 200-300 and 2.5-4 units/ha. MD carried out with Isonet® L MISTERX843 led to zero catches of males in the pheromone traps. They also allowed for a significant reduction in the number of infested flower clusters and bunches, as well as in the number of nests per flowers cluster/bunch, if compared to the untreated control. As a general trend, MD effectiveness was fully comparable, or even better, if compared to the grower's standard. In conclusion, our research pointed out that the Isonet® L MISTERX843 can allow for effective EGVM management in small-sized Italian vineyards. Lastly, our economic evaluation showed that the MD whole cost per hectare using active or passive release devices was comparable.

The European grapevine moth (EGVM), Lobesia botrana (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and the vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), are two important pests of grapevine in Mediterranean vineyards. In the last 20 years, pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) has been successfully developed, with noteworthy reduction in chemical insecticide use and safeguard of non-target insects. In the present study, a dedicated plastic reservoir dispenser (Isonet (R) L PFX246), releasing simultaneously synthetic pheromone active ingredients of both EGVM and VMB, was evaluated by testing 400, 500 and 600 dispensers/ha in five study sites located in Southern (Sicily), Central (Tuscany) and Northern (Veneto) Italy. Trials were performed by monitoring EGVM and VMB populations in wine and table-grape vineyards managed with MD, and in grower's standard and untreated control vineyards. One single application per year of MD resulted in a significant reduction of both EGVM and VMB male catches, infested flower clusters and bunches, as well as of EGVM nests and VMB individuals, compared to untreated controls. MD efficacy was comparable to or higher than the efficacy expressed by grower's standard. In general, no significant differences were found among the three tested rates of Isonet (R) L PFX246. Overall, our results highlighted that the use of lsonet (R) L PFX246 for the combined control of EGVM and VMB can contribute in achieving effective management of both pests, with the distinctive trait of this dispenser being the active ingredients: the sex pheromones of two insect species that do not belong to the same Order, i.e. Lepidoptera and Hemiptera.

BACKGROUND Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp. is the most significant disease of stone fruit. New approaches to fruit production have necessitated the development of control strategies that are more eco- and consumer-friendly. An efficient field strategy to control brown rot was previously designed based on the application of two biocontrol agents (BCAs), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens CPA-8 (CPA-8) or Penicillium frequentans 909 (Pf909), with calendar-based treatment. In the present study, the strategy was validated on different stone fruit hosts in four producing countries over two seasons. RESULTS The results obtained were reported according to three different scenarios: Scenario 1, in which there was no presence of disease in the field; Scenario 2, in which high disease pressure occurred in the field and treatments (biologicals or chemicals) were not effective; and Scenario 3, with low or medium to high disease presence. The results were successful because, in general, BCA strategies were shown to control brown rot to a similar extent as chemicals strategies. We found that most of the trials conducted in this study were classed under Scenario 3 (62.5%), with only 12.5% and 25% of the trials classed under Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively. CONCLUSION These novel findings allowed the formulation of CPA-8 and Pf909 as valuable tools for farmers to produce stone fruits more competitively and meet consumer demand for safer and more environmentally friendly products.

The demand for a reduced use of pesticides in agriculture requires the development of specific strategies for managing arthropod pests. Among eco-friendly pest control tools, pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) is promising for controlling several key insect pests of economic importance, including many lepidopteran species. In our study, we evaluated an MD approach for managing the honeydew moth (HM), Cryptoblabes gnidiella, an emerging threat for the grapevine in the Mediterranean basin. The trials were carried out in two study sites, located in Tuscany (central Italy, years 2017–2019) and Apulia (southern Italy, years 2016 and 2018–2019), and by applying MD dispensers only in April, in April and July, and only in July. To evaluate the effects of MD, infested bunches (%), damaged area (%) per bunch, and number of living larvae per bunch were compared among plots covered with MD dispensers, insecticide-treated plots (Apulia only), and untreated control plots. Male flights were monitored using pheromone-baited sticky traps. Except for the sampling carried out in Tuscany in 2018, where HM infestation level was very low, a significant difference was recorded between MD and control plots, both in terms of HM damage caused to ripening grapes and/or number of living larvae per bunch. Overall, our study highlighted that MD, irrespective of the application timing, significantly reduced HM damage; the levels of control achieved here were similar to those obtained with the application of insecticides (no MD). However, MD used as stand-alone strategy was not able to provide complete pest control, which may instead be pursued by growers with an IPM approach.

Fusarium ear rot (FER) and Gibberella ear rot (GER) are common fungal diseases of maize responsible for yield losses and reduced kernel quality due to contamination by mycotoxins. Since no chemical treatments are available to control Fusarium disease in maize, biological control could represent a promising sustainable strategy. A commercial strain of Trichoderma harzianum (INAT11) was evaluated for its ability to antagonize Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium graminearum and to reduce disease symptoms in plants through induction of a systemic resistance response in maize. Infection trials on maize plants under controlled greenhouse conditions showed that INAT11 applied to seeds is capable of reducing both F. verticillioides and F. graminearum disease incidence (37.1% and 30.7%, respectively) and severity (32.6% and 43.4%, respectively). Field trials performed under natural infection conditions showed a reduction in deoxynivalenol contamination in kernels, while no effect on fumonisin contamination was observed. The expression patterns of some defence-related genes belonging to both the ISR (LOX10, AOS, HPL and OPR8) and SAR pathways (PAL and PR1) indicated the upregulation of some ISR and SAR markers. These upregulations occurred at different levels likely related to the lifestyle of these two fungal pathogens.

The vine mealybug (VMB), Planococcus ficus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a key insect pest of vineyards. While pheromone-based mating disruption (MD) has been successfully tested against a wide range of insect pests, knowledge about its efficacy against key mealybug species, such as P. ficus, is scarce. In this study, a novel MD product, Isonet® PF, was evaluated by testing 300, 400, and 500 dispensers/ha at four study sites located in Northern (Veneto) and Southern (Sicily) Italy. Experiments were carried out over 2 years by monitoring the mealybug populations in wine grape and table grape vineyards managed with and without the application of MD. Pheromone dispensers were periodically collected during the grapevine-growing season, extracted, and analyzed by GC-MS, to determine their pheromone content and the release in mg/ha/day. The results showed that use of the MD dispenser Isonet® PF reduced the percentage of VMB-infested bunches and the number of VMB specimens per bunch compared with the untreated controls. This was recorded over 2 years at all experimental sites. Differences in the incidence of infested bunches among the three tested rates of Isonet® PF were not detected. Overall, the results presented here contribute to optimizing the sex pheromone dosage used in MD control programs against VMB allowing a reduction of broad-spectrum insecticides currently employed to manage this important pest.

The development of environmentally sustainable control strategies to fight insect pests is a key challenge nowadays. Pheromone-mediated mating disruption (MD) is based on the release of synthetic sex attractants into a crop, interfering with mate finding of a given pest species. However, a limited number of research items have been published on the optimization of MD strategies against the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, as well as on the use of biodegradable dispensers to reduce waste production in vineyards, despite the high economic importance of this pest. Therefore, the present study evaluated the efficacy of the MD products Isonet® L TT and the biodegradable Isonet® L TT BIO, applied at various densities, in reducing L. botrana damage on grapevine in comparison to an untreated control and the reference MD product Isonet® L. Experiments were conducted in three different areas of grapevine cultivation, located in Central and Northern Italy, over three different years. Our MD approach allowed a reliable control of the three generations of L. botrana during the whole grape growing season, leading to a significant reduction in the infested flower clusters and bunches, as well as in the number of nests per flower cluster and bunch, if compared to the untreated control. The performances of Isonet® L TT BIO, Isonet® LTT, and Isonet® L did not differ in terms of infested flower clusters/bunches, as well as nests per flower cluster/bunch. This was confirmed in all experimental sites over 3 years of field experiments. Overall, the present research provides useful information for the optimization of MD programs against L. botrana, highlighting the interesting potential of biodegradable pheromone dispensers that can be easily applied at low densities in vineyards, reducing the use of chemical pesticides to control moth pests.

Abstract This chapter lists the number and type of currently available organic plant protection tools and provides information on how they should be used. These include products based on microorganisms (or substances produced by microorganisms), products based on plant extracts, products based on pheromones, beneficial organisms and products based on substances traditionally used in organic farming, among others.

Thirty-five codling moth (CM, Cydia pomonella L., Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) populations collected in different commercial orchards in six European countries were tested for their susceptibility to Cydia pomonella granulovirus (CpGV-M). Including previously published data on CpGV-M resistance, a total of 38 CM colonies showed considerably elevated LC50 values, independent of the country origin. When only few test individuals are available, determination of mortality of neonate larvae at a discriminating concentration range of 10(4) to 10(6)OB/ml (>log4) as a direct measure of percentage susceptible individuals in a CM population is more advisable than calculation of LC50 values. The >log4 mortality alone or in combination with the LC50 value can be used for identification of resistance in a population. Results indicated a locally separated but widely spread occurrence of CM populations with low susceptibility to CpGV-M. The most plausible hypothesis for the emergence of CpGV-M resistance is its selection by repeated use of CpGV products.

Powdery mildew (PM) is one of the most widespread diseases of grapevine across Europe, and its control requires intensive fungicide sprays. During a 3-year study (2007-09) carried out in Northern Italy, the efficacy of late-season applications of the hyperparasitic fungus Ampelomyces quisqualis isolate M-10 (formulated product: AQ10 WG), a sustainable alternative to chemical fungicides, in reducing PM inoculum and thus disease pressure the following season was evaluated. AQ10 proved to be effective in stopping the production of new chasmothecia and reducing the number of mature ascocarps in potted grapevine plants, leading to reducing the PM severity on both leaves and bunches in the vineyard the following season. Late-season applications of AQ10 showed a mean efficacy of 40% (1 application) to 64% (2 applications) in reducing disease severity on bunches the following spring.