How to get rid of phylloxera: grape aphids can destroy most of the plantings

19.02.2023 14:05

It is not for nothing that phylloxera is called the grape aphid, because it is its closest relative.

According to the expert of the online publication Belnovosti, scientist-agronomist, landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh , it takes many years to restore destroyed vineyards.

The pest can be identified by swellings, tubercles and nodules that form on the roots or leaf blades due to the larvae feeding on the plant juice.

If the grape variety is European, phylloxera settles in the root system and only occasionally gets on the leaves. On American varieties, hybrids and rootstocks, the insect parasitizes both the roots and the leaves.

If the region in which the vineyard is located has an increased risk of infestation by this pest, the solution will be to grow the crop on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks of American selection.

Grape
Photo: © Belnovosti

Among the varieties resistant to the parasite, winegrowers name “Rkatsiteli”, “Mtsvane”, “Lyubitelsky”, “Shokoladny”, “Sereksiya”, “Yubiley Moldavii” and others.

Such preparations as "Aktara" or "Aliot" help to fight the insect. It is worth treating the plantings during the growing season.

Affected bushes must be uprooted and destroyed.

Elena Shimanovskaya Author: Elena Shimanovskaya Editor of Internet resources