Landscape heterogeneity and pesticide reduction favor predation, but also grape infestation by Lobesia botrana.

ABSTRACT: Biological pest control is a major ecosystem service and is known to depend on landscape heterogeneity. The composition and configuration of landscapes can affect natural enemy communities, trophic interactions, and pest density within agroecosystems. However, local agricultural management can interfere with natural enemy activity, so the positive effects of landscape heterogeneity may be disrupted by farming practices. Here, we studied the influence of landscape context and management options on the biological control of Lobesia botrana, one of the main insect pests of grapes. We focused on two complementary measures: predation rates, which reflect part of biological control potential, and plant damage, which reflects pest density and the associated infestation. We used a set of sentinel

SUBMITTER: Tortosa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12130747 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature