Grape cane gallmaker (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and its impact on cultivated grapes.

Abstract

The grape cane gallmaker, Ampeloglypter sesostris (Leconte), is a native weevil that infests new shoots of wild and cultivated grapes (Vitis spp.). Females oviposit on the tender portions of new shoots, producing a reddish gall that can expand the shoot to twice its normal diameter. These galls can be quite numerous in eastern vineyards, and their effects are unknown. We studied the spatial distribution of grape cane gallmaker and its impact on berry size, sugar content, and nutrient and mineral uptake. We observed spatial trends in grape cane gallmaker distribution in vineyards adjacent to woodland margins, with the trend emanating from the woodline. In vineyards without woodland margins, there was little spatial dependency in grape cane gallmaker distribution in individual years. However, grape cane gallmaker density on a single vine was spatially cross-correlated between 2 yr. The presence of galls did not significantly affect berry quality, or the uptake of nutrients and minerals, and we conclude that grape cane gallmaker does not negatively impact berry quality or mature vine vigor.