Grape production in the state of Georgia has been steadily increasing over the past decade, but a demanding management program is required to effectively control the intense insect and disease pests of grapes in the Southeast USA. One such pest is the grape root borer (GRB), Vitacea polistiformis (Harris). The life cycle of GRB is completed within 2 years, where larvae spend approximately 23 months feeding on root tissue, subsequently damaging vines by girdling the roots, thus cutting off nutrients and water to the remainder of the plant. It is estimated that a single larva feeding on the root system can reduce a vine's yield by 50% and as such, several larvae can cause substantial injury to vines through the reduction of fruit quality and even vine death. With the recent ban of the organophosphate, chlorpyrifos, effective curative treatments for GRB are limited. Therefore, additional alternative control methods for the GRB are needed. One alternative method of management for GRB is the use of natural enemies, specifically entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), which can seek out GRB larvae at the root of the problem. Thus, we worked directly with bunch grape producers and extension agents in Georgia to implement and evaluate novel and established EPNs as a biological control agent for GRB management. During 2021 and 2022 we evaluated EPNs at four commercial vineyards as potential management tools for GRB.
