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Beside standard systems of mating disruption the activity of the product Exosex CM and Exosex 2 CM under the aspect of different application systems and several varieties were tested at the research station of the Federal College and Institute for Viticulture and Pomology Klosterneuburg. Male insects were attracted into the Exosex dispenser by using the appropriate pheromone, which acts on the pheromone receptive sensors on the male so that they cannot locate calling females. Standard mating disruption techniques usually rely on the introduction of amounts of pheromone emitted by natural populations of pest species into the atmosphere. Exosex CM significantly reduces deployment time and labour costs in the orchards, additionally the flexibility to fit in with IPM programmes was tested. The assessments were done visually on windfall fruits, fruits on the tree and on all fruits at harvest followed by statistical evaluation. Among the fruits sprayed with the IPM system there was an infestation rate of the first (Cydia pomonella) generation at the variety Idared of 0,8%, the second generation treated with Exosex showed an infestation of 13%. In the biological trial however the infestation by the first generation was about 4% and the infestation of the second generation about 31%.

Florian Gasser,1 Massimiliano Cardinale,1 Barbara Schildberger,2 Gabriele Berg11Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria; 2Höhere Bundesanstalt und Bundesamt für Wein-und Obstbau, Klosterneuburg, AustriaBackground and aims: The fungus Botrytis cinerea is a common problem in viticulture and leads to serious losses in both yield and quality. The objective was to study the potential of the antagonist Pantoea ananatis BLBT1-08 for controlling this disease.Methods: Pathogen suppression by Pantoea treatments was investigated in different field trials and in detached leaf assays. The mode of action was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy of treated grape leaves and by in vitro assays.Results: The introduction of P. ananatis BLBT1-08 in a 3-year field trial resulted in statistically significant reduction of disease symptoms. However, B. cinerea abundance, measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of a B. cinerea specific gene, was not reduced when compared to non-treated, symptom-free leaves. A DsRed fluorescent protein labeled BLBT1-08 strain showed a high phyllosphere competence and competition on the leaf surface, but did not colonize the inner parts of plant tissue. Germination of B. cinerea was not inhibited by BLBT1-08 on the leaf, but mycelial growth and symptoms were suppressed without direct pathogen-antagonist contact. The antimicrobial activity was amino acid and temperature dependent.Conclusion: P. ananatis BLBT1-08 is a competitive and promising biocontrol agent for the control of B. cinerea and is highly effective at reducing disease incidence.Keywords: biological control, sustainable viticulture, antagonism