Using cover crops and landscape features to deliver benefits for wine-grape growers
This webinar presents results from a two-year Wine Australia-funded project investigating the capacity of vegetation patterns, whether within the vineyard or in the wider landscape, to suppress pests and provide additional benefits. The first component of the project assessed the value of nectar from a range of plant species to Trichogramma carverae and T. pretiosum, which are natural enemies of the key vineyard pest, light brown apple moth (LBAM). The second component of the project involved vineyard trials of mid-row and undervine groundcovers to assess ease of establishment and value to growers. The third component surveyed dozens of vineyards over two years to assess the strength of ‘spillover’ effects to grapevines from differing forms of nearby land uses. This webinar is part of a suite of communications providing vineyard managers with practical, evidence-based strategies to suppress pests and gain additional benefits.