Increased grapevine scale populations across multiple Australian wine regions are encouraging vigilance for vineyard managers when it comes to monitoring for impacts on vine health and related diseases.
Concerns have been raised surrounding the long-term effects of the populations on vine vascular health and virus spread, plus controlling honeydew and sooty mould levels to keep within contractual specifications.
It also has thrown the spotlight on an emerging insecticide to target the pests, Trivor, developed by ADAMA Australia.
Juvenile grapevine scale feeding on Chardonnay leaf tissue.
ADAMA Australia’s market development manager for horticulture, Daniel Polson said Trivor combines acetamiprid for rapid knockdown and pyriproxyfen’s residual control.
These are two highly effective active ingredients from the 4A and 7C insecticide groups that are proving to be a valuable rotation partner in programs and, importantly, reduce the impact on beneficial insects.
Trivor can be applied up to the E-L19 growth stage in wine grapes to coincide with late spring and early summer juvenile crawler emergence.
Mr Polson said Trivor offered the strong efficacy and residual components required to provide growers with a reliable management tool for controlling these insects.
“Trivor has had a positive impact in the wine grape industry, as it directly addresses two of the most destructive commercial pests affecting long-term vine health, yield, grape quality and the production of wine taint,’’ Mr Polson said.
“It is gathering strong support for its quick-acting control combined with residual cessation of juvenile scale feeding. In addition, Trivor provides control options for growers with mealybug infestations, which has a similar lifecycle and taint production characteristics.
“It has offered growers and advisers another product to improve rotational options, not only assisting resistance management, but also reducing the impact on beneficial insects.”
Mr Polson said Trivor can be successfully incorporated into integrated pest management programs, and with close monitoring to target applications, it can be highly effective against scenarios of multiple life stage infestations.
It has excellent physical and biological compatibility with various other products commonly used in wine grape spray programs and does not require the addition of an adjuvant to achieve maximum efficacy.
