Page 40 - Grapevine May-June 2019

Around The Vineyard

industry-leading platforms of pest management Integrated pest management programs allow
solutions for the agricultural community. Their vineyard managers and workers to get to know
products help increase crop yield while decreasing the vineyard and the changes it goes through from
chemical residue and pesticide loads in the environ- week-to-week throughout the season.
ment.
“There is no one answer,” says Malabad, “which
However, biological crop protection cannot wholly is why most growers in California have trusted Pest
reduce pests on its own. Marrone Bio recommends Control Advisors that consult with the growers for
a strong, integrated pest management program best management practices. Different pests affect
that includes three main controls: biological, cultur- the vineyards at different times of the year, but
al, and pesticides. mealybugs, leafhoppers, and mites are the more
commonly found insects. Pest pressure and intensi-
“The key to a robust pest management system is ty changes from year to year, so many growers are
monitoring, scouting, assessing and treating in var- starting to look at preventative measures to con-
ious methods,” says Malabad. “There are consider- trol pests. Each varietal has its nuances, so getting
able products on the market today that are labeled ahead of the problem is critical. Ground makeup,
for grapes while providing some level of control for cultural practices and micro-climates will determine
key pests. They fall into three main types: biologi- the best overall pest management program with-
cals use natural enemies to attack unwanted pests; in any unique block, so field scouting is the most
cultural methods involve planting cover crops to important tool we have to determine treatment
inhibit or drive away those that are unwanted; and thresholds and preferred treatment times.”
pesticides, which fall into either the organic or syn-
thetic category.” Marrone Bio offers a pair of organic insecticide
options for grape growers to include in their pro-

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