Control of Scaphoideus titanus with Natural Products in Organic Vineyards
Federico Tacoli,
Nicola Mori,
Alberto Pozzebon,
Elena Cargnus,
Sarah Da Vià,
Pietro Zandigiacomo,
Carlo Duso,
Francesco Pavan
Affiliations
Federico Tacoli
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, Udine 33100, Italy
Nicola Mori
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, via dell’Università 16, Agripolis, Legnaro 35020, Padova, Italy
Alberto Pozzebon
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, via dell’Università 16, Agripolis, Legnaro 35020, Padova, Italy
Elena Cargnus
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, Udine 33100, Italy
Sarah Da Vià
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, via dell’Università 16, Agripolis, Legnaro 35020, Padova, Italy
Pietro Zandigiacomo
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, Udine 33100, Italy
Carlo Duso
Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, via dell’Università 16, Agripolis, Legnaro 35020, Padova, Italy
Francesco Pavan
Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, via delle Scienze 206, Udine 33100, Italy
The leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus is the vector of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma vitis’, the causal agent of Flavescence dorée (FD) a key disease for European viticulture. In organic vineyards, the control of S. titanus relies mostly on the use of pyrethrins that have suboptimal efficacy. During 2016, three field trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of kaolin, orange oil, insecticidal soap and spinosad against S. titanus nymphs, in comparison with pyrethrins. The activity of kaolin was evaluated also in the laboratory. In all field trials, kaolin had an efficacy against nymphs comparable to pyrethrins, while the other products were not effective. Laboratory results confirmed that kaolin increased nymph mortality. In organic vineyards, kaolin and pyrethrins are valuable tools in the management of FD. Nevertheless, their efficacy is lower compared to that of the synthetic insecticides used in conventional viticulture. Therefore, further research should be conducted in order to identify alternatives to synthetic insecticides for S. titanus control in the context of organic viticulture.
