Three Things to Consider When Choosing a Vine Mealybug Mating Disruption Product

In challenging economic times, it’s natural to re-evaluate inputs. Although, when it comes to managing persistent, damaging pests, short-term cuts can lead to long-term setbacks. Mating disruption is an investment that reduces pest populations each season it is in use. Maintaining consistency is what keeps difficult pests in check and protects both yield and future crop profitability.

Experts agree that mating disruption is an essential tool used to control vine mealybug populations in California vineyards. For growers choosing between different mating disruption dispensers, investigating quality and efficacy is essential. Here are three questions to consider when choosing a VMB pheromone dispenser:

1. Why does the duration of mating disruption matter to growers?
2. How can I measure mating disruption product duration?
3. Do I run the risk of missing localized hotspots if use reduced rates of pheromone dispensers?

Mating disruption products vary in their longevity, release, and ability to withstand environmental conditions. If the mating disruption product you choose does not last throughout the entirety of the season, you may be left with gaps in protection. Likewise, a product must steadily release enough pheromone active ingredient to disrupt mating in a range of environmental conditions.

Suterra’s Celada VMB lasts an entire year, which means growers are protected through all growth stages. Its proprietary resin material allows for consistent pheromone release throughout the vineyard. It has also been tested in multiple geographies and remains steadfast in all weather conditions. Because of its year-long duration, application can be done at the grower’s convenience.

Key Takeaway: The success of mating disruption products depends on their longevity, release consistency, and durability. Suterra’s Celada provides uninterrupted protection against vine mealybug and flexible application to fit all insecticide application schedules.

Product duration refers to the length of time a product can effectively disrupt pest mating throughout the growing season.

Some manufacturers may confuse this with trap suppression (reduced male capture), which occurs while monitoring in the presence of mating disruption. However, traps are baited with pheromone lures for a specific purpose: to attract insects and gather information on pest pressure or phenology. Lures contain smaller amounts of pheromone (relative to mating disruption) and must be replaced at different intervals throughout the growing season.

Key takeaway: While trap suppression can occur in the presence of mating disruption, it is a byproduct of monitoring. It is not used to measure product duration or release over time.

Gravimetric testing (weight testing) is also used to measure product duration and pheromone release in the field. However, the assumption that mass lost from dispensers is equal to the amount of pheromone emitted into the environment is incorrect. Mass loss could be due to the evaporation of solvents or material degradation. Gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID), which measures volatile organic compounds released from dispensers, is the most accurate way to measure pheromone release.

Key takeaway: Gravimetric testing only looks at weight and is an unreliable way to measure pheromone release or how long a product will last in the field. GC-FID testing detects precise amounts of pheromone emitted from dispensers and tracks their release profile over time.

Absolutely. Even in vineyards with low vine mealybug populations, using below the label rate of pheromone dispensers can increase the risk of missing localized hotspots of infestation. This is because mating disruption works by adding pheromone into the environment to confuse males and prevent them from mating. For this to work, the correct amount of pheromone must be evenly distributed throughout the vineyard.

Suterra has spent years field testing its dispenser rate per acre for each pest and crop system. When fewer dispensers are used, gaps in coverage or areas of weaker pheromone concentration are created. This allows populations to increase, creating more damage on fruit and leading to a higher transfer of leafroll associated viruses.

Although it’s always important to consider the economics of an operation when choosing a product, reduced label rates adversely impact vine health and cause more damage in the long run. Because vine mealybug tends to cluster throughout the vineyard and are often protected by ants, populations have the potential to skyrocket quickly. Low pressure one season can easily escalate to high pressure by the next.

Key takeaway: Using fewer pheromone dispensers than the recommended rate can create gaps in coverage, allowing vine mealybug hotspots and leafroll virus to spread. If economics force growers to cut the rate of application, reduce the risk of the experiment by choosing the longest lasting, highest AI product on the market.

For growers looking to protect their vineyards with a pheromone product that is thoroughly tested, proven to last, and has verified rate recommendations, take a look at our Celada VMB dispensers. Our team has spent years perfecting dispenser technology through field and lab testing. To learn more about Suterra’s products and how to build an effective vineyard pest management program, contact us here.