Technical Yearbook 2024

NOVEMBER

SHUTTERSTOCK

Biocontrol in viticulture By José Luis Padilla Agudelo, Elena Palencia Mulero, Gustavo Cordera & Ileana Vigentini

Introduction Various strategies have been and are still being explored to manage diseases effectively in viticulture. These include cultural practices, selection of resistant cultivars, chemical control (fungicides and bactericides), and biocontrol. But what do we know about this last strategy, and why is it important for viticulture? Biocontrol refers to using living organisms, mainly microorganisms called biocontrol agents (BCAs), to manage and reduce pests, diseases and invasive species. This environmentally friendly approach is an integral part of control strategies and offers an alternative to chemical pesticides, which can negatively affect the environment and human health. Different countries’ and regions’ policies aim to reduce synthetic pesticide use and ensure responsible

consumption and production, life on land and clean water. However, implementing BCAs requires in-depth studies on the complex interactions in plant-microbe-environment interplay. Among BCAs’ characteristics are their ability to compete effectively for nutrients and space, which is involved in suppressing pathogen growth. They also produce volatile and non-volatile compounds in a process called antibiosis. Finally, BCAs can directly parasitise pathogens. Nowadays, using BCAs with combined approaches (especially those that operate by different mechanisms of action) is useful, because it forces a pathogen to overcome several hurdles instead of just one to establish and develop an infection. Additionally, combinations of approaches may have additive or synergic effects.

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TECHNICAL YEARBOOK 2024