Biological Control Strategies in Viticulture

Biological control in viticulture encompasses a suite of practices designed to harness or augment natural processes for the suppression of vine pests and diseases, thereby reducing reliance on synthetic inputs. Central to this approach is integrated pest management, which combines habitat management, microbial agents and targeted releases of beneficial organisms. Conservation biological control seeks to enhance existing populations of predators, parasitoids and antagonistic microbes through interventions such as inter-row vegetation, flowering cover crops and the maintenance of ecological infrastructure in and around vineyards. Augmentative strategies involve mass rearing and release of natural enemies—predatory mites, lacewings or parasitic wasps—at key phenological stages. Microbial biopesticides, including strains of Bacillus, Trichoderma and entomopathogenic fungi, offer both curative and preventive action against fungal pathogens and insect pests. Recent advances in formulation technology, such as nano-encapsulation, and the exploitation of endophytic bacteria have broadened the toolkit available to growers. Collectively, these strategies enhance ecosystem services—predation, parasitism and disease suppression—while contributing to sustainable production, soil health and biodiversity conservation in vineyard landscapes worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have demonstrated that strategic management of inter-row vegetation markedly increases the abundance and diversity of both ground-dwelling and canopy arthropods. Trials comparing bare soil, partial and full vegetation cover in Mediterranean vineyards revealed that reduced soil disturbance and higher plant species richness strongly promote populations of spiders, beetles, hemipterans and wild bees. Path-based analyses highlighted the pivotal role of soft soil management in strengthening trophic links, thereby reinforcing predation pressure on key pests. These findings underline the importance of diversifying groundcover not only for conservation of beneficial arthropods but also for enhancing the resilience of vineyard agroecosystems against pest outbreaks.

Biological Control Strategies in Viticulture publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in biological control strategies in viticulture across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Conservation biological control: Strategies that enhance and preserve populations of existing natural enemies by modifying habitat or management practices.

Inter-row vegetation management: The practice of controlling groundcover between vine rows, including mowing, sowing cover crops or allowing spontaneous plants.

Augmentative release: The periodic mass release of laboratory-reared natural enemies into the field to supplement native populations.

Natural enemies: Predators, parasitoids or pathogens that attack and regulate pest populations.

Cover crops: Non-vine plant species sown between or beneath vines to provide habitat, improve soil quality and support beneficial organisms.

References

1. Vegetation increases abundances of ground and canopy arthropods in Mediterranean vineyards. Scientific Reports (2022).
2. Review of Ecologically-Based Pest Management in California Vineyards. Insects (2017).
3. Soil Arthropods in the Douro Demarcated Region Vineyards: General Characteristics and Ecosystem Services Provided. Sustainability (2021).
4. Influence of Vineyard Inter-Row Groundcover Vegetation Management on Arthropod Assemblages in the Vineyards of North-Eastern Italy. Insects (2021).