|
Wine grape growers across South Australia will benefit from the Wine Grape Council of South Australia’s (WGCSA) successful grant under the National Landcare Program’s Smart Farms Small Grants program.
The EcoVineyard concept incorporates native insectary plants to create biodiverse ecosystems in and around vineyards. These plants support populations of insect predators, which contribute towards biocontrol of vineyard pests and may ultimately lead to reduced input costs and the use of chemicals. The use of insectary plants, will help demonstrate our environmental credentials, change the look and function of vineyards and provide opportunities to tell our unique story to tourists and international wine customers. How will growers benefit? Project staff will work with grape growers to establish native insectary sites and biodiversity corridors throughout South Australian wine regions. Viticulturist Mary Retallack explains, ‘Locally-adapted, native insectary plants have the capacity to provide benefits including weed suppression, erosion control, nutrient cycling, soil water retention, improved soil organic carbon and biological activity. By establishing native insectary plants around their vineyards, we aim to help growers save time and resources by producing healthy grapes, with lower pest incidence while at the same time, enhancing the resilience and biodiversity of their vineyard.’ This project is supported by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, through funding from Australian Government's National Landcare Program. Background information
Dr Mary Retallack and Dan Falkenberg presentation titled
“Bio-Diverse Ecosystems in Vineyards and Applications for Production Landscapes” at the Australian Biological Farming Conference: Science meets nature in November 2018 Project Partners
Regional project partners
|
EcoVineyards CasestudiesEcoVineyards FactsheetsEcoVineyards SurveyEcoVineyards - Media ReleasePledge your plants27,759 plants
Our goal was 20,000 native insectary plants by Dec 2020 
|
