Suppressing mealybugs in table grapes

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The problem

Mealybug infestation is an ongoing challenge for table grapevine production in South Africa and has been a major factor affecting yields on the Viljoen’s farms. In the 2019/20 season, Viljoen estimated a loss of 43,740 grape cartons due to mealybug infestation, worth USD 32,478 in export value. Knowing pest risk areas is critical for crop protection, and ongoing monitoring can be labor and time-intensive.

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The solution

A group of scouts monitored pest traps weekly using the Aeroview InField mobile app and performed investigations in areas of higher and lower vine vigor generated on the Aeroview web app. One of the farms was divided into three IPM zones – based on the pest counts zones geotagged in the Aeroview InField app and the information was used to intensify intervention on orchards in highly infested zones. The pest and disease management product coupled with high resolution insights into the grapevines’ health and vigor empowered the in-field scouts to provide more accurate and timeous pest detections, while also enabling Viljoen and their role players to proactively manage pests in the vineyard.