Hammons - SARE: Sustainable Management for Scarab Pests Impacting Grape Production in the Southern Region

  • Potter, Daniel (PI)
  • Hammons, Derrick (CoI)

Grants and Contracts Details

Description

Grape growers in the southeastern United States contend with two major pests, Japanese beetle (JB), Popilliajaponica Newman, and green June beetle (GJB), Cotinis nitida L., that are absent or less troublesome in other grape-growing regions. JB severely defoliates vines, whereas both beetles feed upon and contaminate ripe fruits and are key pests close to harvest when spray restrictions limit management options. Grape cultivars adapted to the southern region vary in foliar characteristics and phenology of ripening in ways that likely affect resistance to both scarabs. Establishing vineyards with resistant cultivars should reduce vine loss and production costs, providing a quality crop with reduced chemical inputs. This project will quantify the costs of JB defoliation to growth, winter hardiness, berry development, and yield of vines of representative American, European, and hybrid cultivars maintained under conventional and reduced insecticidal regimes. In addition, phenological resistance, the use of cultivars that ripen before or after peak beetle flight, will also be evaluated as a strategy to reduce need for cover sprays close to harvest. This project will help guide growers who favor organic or sustainable growing practices to cultivars that produce quality crops with minimal loss from the aforementioned scarab pests.
StatusFinished
Effective start/end date9/1/088/31/10

Fingerprint

Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.