metabarcoding analysis of the mycobiota of wasps and vineyard samples exposed to wasps from the environment, reared in the lab or fed with Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
the study aimed at determining the impact of wasps on the mycobiota in the vineyard and at evaluating the possibility of using wasps as vectors for oenologically relevant yeasts. Aiming at this, wasps were caught in a Tuscan vineyard, reared in the lab, eventually fed with a S. cerevisiae strain, and then released in vineyard rows covered with nets. After a short period of residence, wasps were caught from the covered vineyard rows, together with some grapes, and the mycobiota of the samples was investigated by means of metabarcoding analysis. In addition, grapes harvested from the experimental vineyard rows were separately subjected to spontaneous fermentation and the alcoholic fermentation process was dissected at multiple times by means of characterization of the mycobiota.