Page 50 - Grapevine JanFeb 2022

Around The Vineyard

in check and works well after the onset of ripening that stimulate a plant’s internal defenses via ISR
to keep fruit disease-free.” (Integrated Stress Response) and SAR (Systemic
Acquired Response) pathways. Fewer broad-spec-
Yadon tells The Grapevine Magazine that Sym- trum insecticides will be in demand, and we’ll likely
Agro dedicates significant resources to test and see an increased demand for anti-stress products
validate the efficacy of their products, paying very like Sym-Agro’s ECKOSIL to strengthen plant cell
close attention specifically to offering products that walls and make it more difficult for pests to pene-
do not mark, spot or damage the fruit. As a result, trate leaf surfaces. We will also likely see expanded
Sym-Agro offers value-added products with proven, use of mating disruption products in pest control.”
successful, plant-safe patterns of use that result in
superior formulations and effective, practical appli- Suterra: Using Mating Disruption To Deter
cations. Vine Mealybug’s Destructiveness

“A high percentage of the products we offer “Vineyard managers tell us that their biggest
are biochemicals or biological and therefore pest challenge is the increasing spread of the vine
plant-friendly,” said Yadon. “The grower’s plants mealybug (VMB),” said Emily Symmes, Ph.D., Senior
and trees do not have to manipulate or metabo- Manager of Technical Field Services for Suterra,
lize any chemicals because they are not alien to a global leader in sustainable pest control. “The
the plant. Our products leverage secondary plant vine mealybug is a triple threat because it not only
defenses that add to plant health, disease, and infests and feeds on the fruit resulting in unmar-
insect control. In the future, you’ll see an increase ketable bunches, it also spreads grapevine leafroll
in the use of beneficial predators, less depen- viruses that eventually kill otherwise healthy vines.
dence on chemical pesticides, and increased use of In addition, vine mealybugs also produce a sticky
plant-friendly pesticides and sustainable products residue called honeydew that leads to the contam-
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