Wine Industry Newsletter

Protect your industry by reporting pests of grapes

(clock wise from left) Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys; image courtesy of Ministry for Primary Industries, NZ), Brown shield bug (Dictyotus caenosus; image courtesy of MyPestGuide, ID 1741), Gum tree shield bug (Poecilometis strigatus; image courtesy of MyPestGuide, ID 2814)

While you may think you have plenty of pests to contend with when growing grapes, there are other pests which could cause economic pain that we don’t have in Western Australia, such as Phomopsis cane and leaf spot (Phomopsis viticola) – and let’s try and keep it that way.

Western Australia has quarantine procedures in place to reduce the likelihood of new pests making their way into WA, but incursions do occur from time to time. To help eradication or containment, early detection is essential.

To assist with early detection, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) has produced a mobile reporting application ‘MyPestGuide Reporter’ and an accompanying mobile app ‘MyPestGuide Grapes’ to help with initial identification.

These applications have been available to growers from last season. The following is a summary of the reports made of pests on grapevines for the 2015/16 growing season, and how reports of common pests can be used to infer freedom of an exotic pest.

Summary of MyPestGuide reports of pests on grapevines:

• There were 19 reports on grapes made using MyPestGuide Reporter from 21 September 2015 - 15 July 2016.
• Reports were made of a range of pests and diseases; fungal bunch rots, weevils, snails, mites, moths and mealybugs as well as mechanical damage, nutritional deficiency, herbicide damage and physiological issues (see Table 1).
• Reports were made from the South-West region, Albany, Perth and Carnarvon in WA as well as 2 interstate reports (see Figure 1).

Table 1  Number of reports of each pest affecting grapevines made via MyPestGuide reporter for season 2015/16.

Figure 1  Location of MyPestGuide reports on grapes, by pest for season 2015/16

Using reports to infer pest freedom
While the early detection of pests was a key purpose for the development of MyPestGuide Reporter, another valuable use is to provide evidence certain pests are not present in WA. This information can be used for market access requirements. The following summary shows how reports of various native and introduced shield and stink bugs can be used to infer freedom of a similar and economically significant exotic pest the Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB).

Summary of MyPestGuide reports of shield and stink bugs as inference reports for BMSB:

• There were 46 reports of shield bugs and stink bugs similar to BMSB, made using MyPestGuide Reporter from 21 September 2015 up to 15th July 2016.
• Reports were made of numerous pests, including; Bug, Green stink bug, Shield bug, Acacia shield bug, Brown shield bug, Gum tree shield bug, Predatory bug, Jewel bug, and Australian stink bug (see Table 2).
• Reports were made from the Perth metropolitan area, and the Gascoyne, Wheat belt, Bunbury and Augusta/Margaret River/Busselton regions (see Figure 2).
•  Zero reports made of BMSB.

Table 2  Number of reports of each shield/stink bug suitable for inference reporting of Brown marmorated stink bug reported, season 2015/16

Figure 2 MyPestGuide reports of shield/stink bugs suitable for inference reporting of Brown marmorated stink bug, season 2015/16

While the number of reports of pests on grapevines is not high, it is a start and we hope to see many more reports coming in this season as growers become accustomed to using MyPestGuide Reporter. We are encouraging growers to report all pests they encounter on their grapevines because all reports are useful in the effort to protect the grape industries, their markets and the environment.

The MyPestGuide Grapes activities are part of DAFWA's Boosting Biosecurity Defences Project, made possible by Royalties for Regions funding.

Nichole Hammond and Alec McCarthy
DAFWA