A review of history and geographical distribution of grapevine moths in Italian vineyards in light of climate change: Looking backward to face the future

Tortricid and pyralid moths include important pests of vineyards. This review offers a retrospective analysis of the geographic distribution expansion of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and the replacement or marginalization of the importance of the previously largely vine-infesting species, i.e., Sparganothis pilleriana (Denis & Schiffermüller) and Eupoecilia ambiguella (Hübner), because of the combination and interaction between climate change, invasive alien species, and new cultivation techniques. Herein, we have focused on the case study of Italy, which is currently representing the fourth largest country in the world in terms of cultivated wine-growing area, and the biggest producer of wine grapes, as a model to analyze the possible influence of climate change on the occurrence and harmfulness of grapevine moths and what will be the next challenges for their sustainable management. Starting from the retrospective analysis and learned lessons, a research agenda outlining future challenges for IPM of grapevine moth pests in Mediterranean countries is developed.