Indigenous cover crops have the potential to promote an increase in natural enemies providing fortuitous control of pest species and other ecosystem

The homogenous nature of agricultural landscapes generally reduces biodiversity of invertebrate species, but this can be partly offset by developing refuges at field margins. In Australia, shelterbelts are widely planted to provide protection for livestock and to counter salinity problems associated with rising water tables. Shelterbelts may also play a role in acting as reservoirs for organisms that are beneficial to pastures, although this has rarely been directly evaluated. We sampled invertebrates along transects running from replicated shelterbelts into pastures, and in glasshouse trials we tested the impact of the beneficial organisms from the shelterbelts on the collected pests. Contrary to popular views, numbers of pest mites and lucerne fleas were low within shelterbelts. Moreover, numbers were typically lower adjacent to shelterbelts compared with >30 m into the pasture, an effect that was much more apparent when shelterbelts carried a groundcover of high (>30 cm) grass. Numbers of predatory mites and spiders were higher in shelterbelts and in adjacent pasture when there was taller grass and higher grass cover in the shelterbelts. Samples of potential predators collected from a shelterbelt were more effective at suppressing pest mite numbers than those collected in pasture. Shelterbelts with ground cover appear to harbour a diversity of beneficial organisms that suppress pest numbers in adjacent pastures.

Increased biodiversity is being promoted as an important aim for Australian agriculture, but the measurement of biodiversity is problematic and often not practical. An alternative involves the development of surrogate indicators for biodiversity on farms that have direct links to production. One group of organisms that may perform this function in vineyards is the beneficial invertebrates that have a direct impact on pest abundance. If we can identify the effects of common management practices on invertebrates that are important in the wine industry, we can identify target organisms whose presence suggests good and sustainable practice. Here we identify key invertebrates, both pests and natural enemies, in grape production, the effects of some management practices on these invertebrates, and suggest steps to develop these invertebrates into sustainability indicators for the viticulture industry.