By: Alyssa L. Ochs
As we kick off the new year, sustainability is top of mind for many vineyards. Lots of vineyard owners are turning to biologicals and organics to rely less on synthetic chemicals while promoting healthier soil and improving grape quality. Using natural, chemical-free methods in the vineyard makes it possible to manage diseases and pests while enhancing biodiversity and attracting consumers who appreciate environmentally conscious wine options.
We connected with two companies working in this space to learn more about how they help vineyards improve their sustainable growing practices while promoting environmental conservation.
General Benefits of Biologicals and Organics
An increasing number of consumers are seeking sustainably produced wines, pushing market demand for biodynamic and organic options. Research has shown that grapes grown organically may have improved flavors and higher quality. This may be because organic practices promote a healthy soil ecosystem that naturally controls pests and allows beneficial microorganisms and insects to thrive in a biodiverse environment.
Incorporating biologicals and organics in the vineyard reduces your operation’s overall environmental impact by eliminating chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These products are notorious for seeping into waterways over time. Meanwhile, when vineyards use organic matter from cover crops and compost to enrich the soil, they often notice improved water retention and nutrient absorption in grapevines. Sustainable practices benefit a vineyard’s long-term health, preserving vines for future generations to grow and produce wine.
Organic and biological viticulture often involves revamping soil management strategies through composting, cover crops and green manure to adjust nitrogen levels. It also addresses disease and pest control through microbial applications, biological controls, pruning and irrigation. The two companies we spoke to are excellent examples of naturally effectively addressing pests and plant nutrition concerns. Weed management with mechanical tools or hand-weeding, as well as mulching around the base of vines, can also support chemical-free vineyard practices.
JH Biotech Vineyards Solutions Microbial Fertilizers
One environmentally conscious agricultural company that vineyards should know is JH Biotech, Inc. Founded in 1987 and based in Southern California, JH Biotech is a green science leader offering plant and animal nutrition products and microbials. The company’s mission is “to create environmentally responsible natural, organic and biological products for plant health, pest management and animal well-being.”
JH Biotech’s product manager for biologicals, Miguel Silva, told The Grapevine Magazine about the advantages of agricultural microbial fertilizers over chemical fertilizers. He explained that chemical fertilizers act as plant food, quickly providing the nutrients needed for crop growth, leading to rapid plant development. In contrast, microbial fertilizers function through microorganisms as the main component, utilizing the active functions of microbes to improve soil structure, decompose organic matter and promote nutrient cycling.
“While chemical fertilizers show results in a short period of time, they can also lead to soil degradation due to environmental factors and antagonistic interactions between elements,” Silva said. “The application of microbial fertilizers can improve soil degradation, making it easier for plants to absorb chemical fertilizers. Because of the growth patterns of microorganisms, their effects last longer than those of chemical fertilizers. If the soil contains a lot of insoluble nutrients, microbial fertilizers enhance the efficiency of chemical fertilizers, effectively reducing the amount of chemical fertilizers needed. Additionally, the various functional substances secreted by microorganisms not only enable crops to more efficiently utilize chemical fertilizers and soil nutrients, but also produce enzymes and antibiotic substances that offer additional benefits beyond those of chemical fertilizers, leading to healthier plant growth and higher yields.”
Microbial Fertilizer Effects and Implementation
Silva shared that agricultural microbial products primarily consist of beneficial microorganisms, including fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes, which provide direct and indirect benefits to crops. He said a direct benefit is that beneficial microbes can colonize the plant’s leaf surface and root zone. This means that in sufficient numbers, microorganisms can occupy space and prevent pathogenic microbes from reaching the plant surface, thereby creating a protective barrier. One of the many indirect benefits is that the microbes enhance nutrient availability to plants.
“Some beneficial microorganisms can attract free nitrogen from the air, and when they die, they release nitrogen for the plant’s use,” Silva explained. “Additionally, they can produce organic acids that release bound nutrients like calcium and phosphorus, making these nutrients more accessible to the plant. Moreover, they produce various amino acids, peptides and natural growth stimulants, which enhance photosynthesis, promote cell division and secrete enzymes. These enzymes, which are functional proteins, can break down difficult-to-decompose organic materials in the soil, such as cellulose and chitinase, which in turn helps to reduce harmful organisms in the soil.”
We also discussed with Silva how microbial fertilizers don’t require growers to change their farming practices. Microbial fertilizers are an excellent supplement whether you use conventional or organic farming methods.
“In conventional farming, microbial fertilizers can improve the efficiency of chemical fertilizers, making the soil and the crop surfaces healthier,” Silva said. “In organic farming, microbial fertilizers can help quickly incorporate hard-to-decompose organic fertilizers into the crop’s nutrient cycle. The only necessary adjustment is that the application of chemical fertilizers in conventional farming can be reduced by more than 15 percent. In organic farming, the use of microbial fertilizers promote healthier plant growth, thereby reducing the need for some organic agricultural inputs, which can lead to noticeable savings in management costs.”
Microbial Fertilizer Costs, Storage and Use
When properly managed, the benefits of using microbial products will typically far exceed the cost of applying them. This is because multifunctional microbial fertilizers can reduce or replace other products your vineyard uses for fertilizing and pest control.
“Numerous studies have shown that applying microbial fertilizers can increase crop yield by at least 15 percent and improve the quality of agricultural products, while also reducing pesticide and chemical fertilizer usage by 15 percent,” Silva said. “The improved quality of crops allows for higher selling prices, and increased yields result in greater profits. Additionally, the special functions of microbes provide crops with systemic disease resistance, further reducing the need for pesticides.”
Silva also mentioned how microbial fertilizers must be stored in cool and dry places, similar to chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
“For microbial fertilizers that use Bacillus spp. as the main component, they are relatively easy to store because Bacillus can produce dormant spores called endospores,” Silva said. “If stored in dry and cool conditions, they can last for two to three years. Specific Bacillus strains may have more than three functions, such as nitrogen fixation, cellulose degradation and lysozyme production, or phosphorus solubilization, IAA production and siderophore formation. Therefore, choosing multifunctional microbial fertilizers can reduce the use of other agricultural inputs, thus improving the ease of application. For other agricultural microbial products, it is essential to ensure that most of them can be mixed with water, whether they are in water-soluble powder or liquid form. However, microbial products composed of species other than Bacillus often face challenges with long-term storage. Hence, when applying beneficial microorganisms such as Trichoderma spp. or mycorrhizal fungi, which are fungi-based, they should be used as soon as possible for optimal effectiveness.”
Pacific Biocontrol Vineyard Solutions Natural Control for Mealybugs
Another company worth learning about as you shift vineyard operations toward biologicals and organics is Pacific Biocontrol. Established in 1985 and headquartered in Vancouver, Washington.Pacific Biocontrol is a pioneer in manufacturing and improving pheromone-based management systems worldwide. The company’s mission is “to increase the use of its mating disruption formulations by increasing efficacy and decreasing costs to the grower.”
The Prevalence of Mealybugs in Vineyards
Peter McGhee, Ph.D., Pacific Biocontrol’s president and director of research and development, told The Grapevine Magazine about his company’s work with vineyards to control vine mealybugs. Mealybugs are a significant concern for grape growers, and Pacific Biocontrol offers a sustainable solution to control them.
McGhee joined Pacific Biocontrol in 2018, with 21 years of education and 24 years of field experience with expertise in pheromone mating disruption. He possesses a B.S. in biology and a M.S. and a Ph.D. in entomology. In addition to being president, he is the company’s Midwest representative.
“Mealybugs infest grape clusters and feed on fruits,” McGhee said. “They exude honeydew, a sugary substance, onto grapes which increases fungal growth making them unmarketable. More importantly vine mealybug transmit grapevine leafroll virus (GLRaV) that kills vines. There is no cure once a vine is infected. Infected vines must be removed to prevent further spread throughout the vineyard by mealybugs.”
Mealybugs are not a new pest, as they have been nominal grape pests for many years, with insecticides traditionally relied on to control them.
“Vine mealybugs were discovered in California in the mid 1990’s, and it is now found throughout North America,” McGhee said. “Many of the older broad-spectrum insecticides used to manage mealybugs have been delisted, and the new insecticides have limited windows of activity and efficacy against these pests. Grape-growers are challenged with properly timing the remaining management options economically. Thus, we have seen dramatic increases in mealybug infestations.”
How ISOMATE VSB Works in Vineyards
McGhee told us how ISOMATE VMB, a behavior-modifying biochemical/pheromone, disrupts the mating patterns of vine mealybugs to suppress this problematic pest and make mating less successful. This suppression helps protect grapes but does not kill mealybugs. Instead, it prevents them from mating and keeps mealybug populations low throughout the entire season with just one application.
“Normally, female vine mealybugs release a species-specific sex pheromone which attracts male mates,” he said. “The male follows the pheromone odor trail to the source, a female. Mealybugs rely on odor more than vision. Once mated, the female lays an average 300 eggs, which can result in over 100 billion offspring by the fifth generation if unchecked! ISOMATE VMB releases millions of times more pheromone than individual female mealybugs. The males cannot find the individual females odor trail due to these higher concentrations released by ISOMATE VMB. The best strategy is to use mating disruption each year preventatively to maintain mealybug populations at very low levels and prevent outbreaks that require additional insecticide treatments.”
Organic grape growers can use this technology without compromising their commitment to chemical-free vineyards. ISOMATE VSB is certified by the EPA National Organic Program (NOP) and the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI).
“Both conventional and organic growers can use ISOMATE VMB to successfully manage their vineyards,” McGhee said. “Sex pheromones fit well in existing pest management programs and do not impair natural enemies that provide beneficial biological control of mealybugs. ISOMATE VMB is a win/win for all grape growers.”
