Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in R Little Vineyard June 2011: Rose Chafer

Rose chafer: The rose chafer is a light tan beetle with a darker brown head and long legs. It is about 12 mm long. There is one generation per year. Adults emerge from the ground during late May or June, near grape bloom time, and live for 3 to 4 weeks. Females lay groups of eggs just below the surface in grassy areas of sandy, well-drained soils. The larvae (grubs) spend the winter underground, move up in the soil to feed on grass roots and then pupate in the spring. A few weeks later, they emerge from the soil and disperse by flight. Male beetles are attracted to females and congregate on plants to mate and feed. Feeding damage is most obvious on the leaves, though the greatest impact can be on young clusters when adult beetles remove the developing berries.

Rose Chafer in R Little Vineyard

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in R Little Vineyard June 2011: Grape Phylloxera

Grape phylloxera has been scouted here and there in R Little Vineyard. Phylloxera are small, yellow, aphidlike insects that live on vine roots and leaves. The root form stunts growth of susceptible vines and can kill them. This pest is effectively managed using resistant or tolerant rootstocks. In the eatern United States, foliar damage is seen on wild grape, labrusca and some vinifera vineyards as raised galls ont he undersides of leaves (see photo below). The root form of this pest prefers vines growing in heavy clay soils. Phylloxera damage the roots of vines by feeding on growing rootlets, which then swell and turn yellowish. The swellings are often hard to see on mature roots. Necrotic spots (dead areas) develop at the feeding sites. Labrusca grapes can tolerate phylloxera feeding on roots, particularly in well-watered vineyards. (Page 29 in Michigan State University Extensions' A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States).

High populations of foliar phylloxera can result in prematrue defoliation, reduced shoot growth, and reduced yield and quality of crop. Foliar phylloxera can reduce the photosynthetic activity of grape leaves. In addition, the leaf galls cause distortion, necrosis, and premature defoliation. Premature defoliation may delay ripening, reduce crop quality, and predispose vines to winter injury. Populations must reach very high densities before yield is affected, and this is rare. The impact of infestations over years on the overall health and vigor of the vine is unknown.

Grape Phylloxera in R Little Vineyard

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in R Little Vineyard June 2011: Gallmakers on Leaves

Scouting for pests and other diseases is critical for effective vineyard management. IPM is not a single pest control method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, decisions and controls. In practicing IPM, growers who are aware of the potential for pest infestation follow a four-tiered approach. The four steps include:

Set Action Thresholds
Before taking any pest control action, IPM first sets an action threshold, a point at which pest populations or environmental conditions indicate that pest control action must be taken. Sighting a single pest does not always mean control is needed. The level at which pests will either become an economic threat is critical to guide future pest control decisions.

Monitor and Identify Pests
Not all insects, weeds, and other living organisms require control. Many organisms are innocuous, and some are even beneficial. IPM programs work to monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that appropriate control decisions can be made in conjunction with action thresholds. This monitoring and identification removes the possibility that pesticides will be used when they are not really needed or that the wrong kind of pesticide will be used.

Prevention
As a first line of pest control, IPM programs work to manage the crop, lawn, or indoor space to prevent pests from becoming a threat. In an agricultural crop, this may mean using cultural methods, such as rotating between different crops, selecting pest-resistant varieties, and planting pest-free rootstock. These control methods can be very effective and cost-efficient and present little to no risk to people or the environment.

Control
Once monitoring, identification, and action thresholds indicate that pest control is required, and preventive methods are no longer effective or available, IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method both for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less risky pest controls are chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as pheromones to disrupt pest mating, or mechanical control, such as trapping or weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not working, then additional pest control methods would be employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. Broadcast spraying of non-specific pesticides is a last resort.

A great resource to purchase is "A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States" published by Michigan State University Extension. Cost is $15 and you can purchase it online at a few different websites.

Here's what we scouted most recently:

Gallmakers on leaves: Many galls of various shapes occur on grapevines as a result of attack by small flies (gall midges). Galls can occur on leaves, tendrils and blossom buds. Numerous species of gall midges attack grapes. No practical control for these galls is known, though removing the galls by hand and destroying them would reduce future populations.

Galls are formed by larvae of small cecidomyiid flies, which lay their eggs into the leaf. Infestations are generally spotty, both within the vineyards and within the infested vines, and they rarely cause significant economic damage. There may be one to three generations per year. The life cycle begins with eggs laid within the unfolding buds or shoot tips. Orange, maggot like larvae hatch from these eggs and enter the vine tissue. As the larvae feed, galls form around them. (Page 19-20 of Michigan State University Extension's A Pocket Guide for Grape IPM Scouting in the North Central and Eastern United States)

These are leaves from a La Crescent plant in R Little Vineyard. Notice the galls on the backside.

The frontside of the leaves show a bright orange-red color. There were 5 leaves on the vine that had galls on them.
We picked them off and burned them.

The leaves were placed in a Ziploc bag and a few days later, the orange larvae hatched.
Notice them in the lower left-hand corner. They jump around.

Trunk tightening and ties in R Little Vineyard

Bob Rochester, Mark Burg & Sherri Burg helped put bamboo poles in R Little Vineyard to help strengthen the trunks and support the grape clusters later this fall.



O don't ya know that then...snow!

I woke up today and looked out the window. Snow? Yer dern-tootin' it was snow!

Pam

Pruning Time at R Little Vineyard

Winter in Wisconsin is just about over, hal-le-lu-yah, and there is much work to get done before bud swell. All 1,150 vines need to be pruned while the vines are still dormant. Each vine needs to be pruned back to 2 to 3 nodes (buds). This strengthens the vine and the shoots that will produce the grapes by sending the nutrients to these areas.

Several family members get involved with the start of the season. Bob and I do the actual pruning, while Dad Rochester drives the mule and with the help of our nephews, Joe and Nate, the floor of the vineyard is cleaned up of all the cuttings. Mom Lee helps cut old twine and ties off the trellis systems.

It is important to have the vineyard as clean as possible. All the vines are put in a pile and burned to destroy any remaining disease from last year. Then Bob sprayed the fields with lime sulfur to disinfect the cordons and canes just prior to bud break to get early season Anthracnose control. This is just the start of a long but exciting and self-fulfilling summer.

It takes a great grape to make a great wine. So follow our summer at R Little Vineyard and let the fun begin!

Pam



Jamison and Sebastian driving the mule.



Dad Rochester and Joe in R Little Vineyard



Bob and Dad Rochester burning the cuttings



Nate in the back vineyard



Wisconsin Grape Growers Association Spring Vineyard School 2011

Last Thursday my daughter, Becky (who is the Grape Marketing Coordinator for the WGGA) and I attended the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association (WGGA) Spring Vineyard School 2011 at Wollersheim Winery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. This annual event hosted over 120 Wisconsin grape growers. Also in attendance were staff from the University of Wisconsin Extension and University of Wisconsin Agricultural Research Stations. Take a look at the action packed schedule below. Stay tuned for an article from The Country Today which will debut on Wednesday, March 30, 2011.

WGGA Spring Vineyard School 2011 Schedule:
9:00-9:30 Registration

Coffee & pastries

Morning sessions will be held in large conference room.

9:30-10:30 Dr. Rebecca Harbut, Associate

Professor, University of Wisconsin

Vineyard Nutrient Management: Soil

Nutrients and How the Complexity of the Soil

Affects the Grape

10:30-12:00 Paul Gospodarczyk, Enology Instructor, Des Moines Area Community

College

Grape Quality: Optimizing the Quality of Grape Cultivars

12:00-12:15 Ryan Prellwitz, President, Wisconsin Grape Growers Association

(WGGA)

An Update on the Association’s Programs and Plans

12:15-12:45 Lunch (provided as part of registration fee)

Afternoon sessions are concurrent and outside in the vineyard. Please dress appropriately.

12:45-1:45

Session A: Philippe Coquard, Vintner and Owner, Wollersheim Winery

Pruning Grapes: First Year, Second Year, and the Veterans

Session B: Bruce Reeve, Vineyard Manager, Wollersheim Winery

How to Net a Vineyard: Protecting Quality Fruit from the Birds, and Mulching with New Technology

1:45-2:45

Session A: Philippe Coquard, Vintner and Owner, Wollersheim Winery

Pruning Grapes: First Year, Second Year, and the Veterans

Session B: Bruce Reeve, Vineyard Manager, Wollersheim Winery

How to Net a Vineyard: Protecting Quality Fruit from the Birds, and Mulching with New Technology

Here are a few pictures from the event:



Becky and me playing in the vineyard at Wollersheim Winery.

 

Dr. Rebecca Harbut speaks about Vineyard Nutrient Management.



WGGA Spring Vineyard School 2011 mulching demo.



Paul Gospodarczyk speaks about Grape Quality.



Becky and me at WGGA Spring Vineyard School 2011.