Failure under stress of grapevine wood: The effects of the cerambycid Xylotrechus arvicola on the biomechanics properties of Vitis vinifera

Abstract

Xylotrechus arvicola is an insect pest on Vitis vinifera in the main wine-producing regions of Spain. X. arvicola larvae bore inside grapevine wood, which cause structural damages in the plants' biomechanical properties. Grapevine wood affected and unaffected by larvae, were collected from vineyards. Compression and flexural tests were used to quantify biomechanical wood properties. Affected wood broke more quickly and endured a lower supported force than unaffected wood in both varieties and moisture states. Tempranillo was the most resistant variety on trunks, while Cabernet-Sauvignon was the most resistant variety on branches, where all infested varieties showed a lower rate of bending. Grapevine wood affected by X. arvicola larvae shows an important decrease in its resistance in both moisture states - dry and wet wood - and it is observed due to the faster break in time and a lower supported force. These damages give the affected wood greater sensitivity to external mechanical factors in the vineyards, such as strong winds, harvest weight and the vibration exerted by harvesting machines. The aspect of stress-time curves in all cases follow similar patterns, so in future studies might be possible to stablish relationships between both wet and dry samples and different infestation levels.