Taxon-specific responses to temperature, landscape, and local management challenge common strategies for pest control in vineyards

Grape is among the most pesticide treated crops in Europe. To reduce pesticide use, it is increasingly important to enhance pest control by natural enemies. However, the provision of biological control in vineyards is highly context- and taxa-dependent. Here, we selected 60 vineyards across Italy in order to explicitly explore the effect of vineyard management, temperature and landscape composition on arthropod predators, grapevine pests, dummy caterpillar predation, and seed predation. We found that plant cover in the inter-row was lower in dry-warm climates, and it positively affected only the abundance of hoverflies, while the abundance of carabids, ladybugs, harvest spiders and spiders was affected by temperature and the surrounding landscape. Organic management did not affect predators but supported more abundant populations of the pest Erasmoneura vulnerata . Overall, most leafhopper pests showed species specific responses to local management, temperature and the landscape. The abundance of two leafhopper species decreased with increasing semi-natural areas. By contrast, pest control rate and grape damage did not respond to any of the selected drivers. In conclusion, our findings suggest that local vineyard management significantly influences biocontrol and pests, but the effects are taxon specific and shaped by the surrounding landscape and by the temperature, challenging universal strategies. Therefore, we advocate for developing regional strategies for grape protection accounting for local climate and multiple taxa responses. • We studied management, climate, and landscape effects on pest control in 60 vineyards. • Organic management did not affect arthropod predators. • The abundance of carabids, ladybugs, harvestmen and spiders responded to climate and landscape. • Most leafhoppers showed species specific responses. • Grape protection needs landscape strategies considering climate, taxa, and landscape.

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Publication Details

Journal
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
Published
2025-11-07
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2025.110065
Primary Topic
Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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Controls
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article

Taxon-specific responses to temperature, landscape, and local management challenge common strategies for pest control in vineyards

Pierfilippo Cerretti, Pierluigi Forlano, Nicola Mori, Elena Costi et al.
Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment
Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
article

Taxon-specific responses to temperature, landscape, and local management challenge common strategies for pest control in vineyards

Pierfilippo Cerretti, Pierluigi Forlano, Nicola Mori, Elena Costi, Francesco Lami, Francesco Sanna, Roberto Mannu, Patrizia Sacchetti, Luca Mazzon, Marzia Cristiana Rosi, Serena Magagnoli, Pompeo Suma, Mariana da Cruz, Gaetana Mazzeo, Lorenzo Marini, Antonio Pietro Garonna, Daniela Lupi, Vincenzo Trotta, Alberto Alma, Gianvito Ragone, Paolo Lo Bue, Arturo Cocco, Carlo Duso, Giacomo Ortis, Gianfranco Anfora, Serena Giorgia Chiesa, Enrico Busato, S. Savoldelli, G. Rotundo, Giovanni Tamburini, Costanza Geppert, Lara Maistrello, Ezio Peri, Lucia Andretta, Nicola Grigolin
article en

Abstract

Grape is among the most pesticide treated crops in Europe. To reduce pesticide use, it is increasingly important to enhance pest control by natural enemies. However, the provision of biological control in vineyards is highly context- and taxa-dependent. Here, we selected 60 vineyards across Italy in order to explicitly explore the effect of vineyard management, temperature and landscape composition on arthropod predators, grapevine pests, dummy caterpillar predation, and seed predation. We found that plant cover in the inter-row was lower in dry-warm climates, and it positively affected only the abundance of hoverflies, while the abundance of carabids, ladybugs, harvest spiders and spiders was affected by temperature and the surrounding landscape. Organic management did not affect predators but supported more abundant populations of the pest Erasmoneura vulnerata . Overall, most leafhopper pests showed species specific responses to local management, temperature and the landscape. The abundance of two leafhopper species decreased with increasing semi-natural areas. By contrast, pest control rate and grape damage did not respond to any of the selected drivers. In conclusion, our findings suggest that local vineyard management significantly influences biocontrol and pests, but the effects are taxon specific and shaped by the surrounding landscape and by the temperature, challenging universal strategies. Therefore, we advocate for developing regional strategies for grape protection accounting for local climate and multiple taxa responses. • We studied management, climate, and landscape effects on pest control in 60 vineyards. • Organic management did not affect arthropod predators. • The abundance of carabids, ladybugs, harvestmen and spiders responded to climate and landscape. • Most leafhoppers showed species specific responses. • Grape protection needs landscape strategies considering climate, taxa, and landscape.

Agriculture Ecosystems & EnvironmentVol. 397
Fondazione Edmund Mach (IT), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT), University of Salerno (IT), University of Padua (IT), University of Sassari (IT), University of Milan (IT), University of Trento (IT), University of Basilicata (IT), Department of Agricultural Sciences (RU), University of Turin (IT), Sapienza University of Rome (IT), University of Palermo (IT), University of Bologna (IT)
European Commission
Openalex Percentile: Top 70%
Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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