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W i n e s & V i n e s J U LY 2 0 1 4 17 J U L Y N E W S J U L Y N E W S and the rest of the plants were picked up for return to the shipping nursery May 23. The investigation by CDFA and the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner's Office is ongoing and will determine the breakdown in protocols that led to the trees being sent to Northern California with viable GWSS egg masses. The San Diego County nursery has been fined for violations in the past, but the San Diego Agricultural Commissioner's office did not identify it due to the ongoing investiga- tion. The nursery may have its shipping privi- leges suspended and may face administrative civil penalties including fines and suspension. Jim Wynn of the San Diego Agricultural Com- missioner's Office said his department hoped to complete the investigation in a few weeks. Other counties may also seek action against the nursery. "We want aggressive action to send a message that this behavior is unaccept- able," Clark said. "It's a huge threat to an im- portant industry." Though the insect is common in Southern California and in pockets elsewhere, Napa County has excluded it for almost 15 years by mandating rigorous inspections and quar- antine while fostering cooperation between the Ag Commissioner's Office, UC Extension specialists and local growers. Only egg masses have been found, and those were excluded except for one adult female in an incoming shipment in 2007. Unlike some counties that inspect only ship- ments they are notified of, Napa inspects all plants—even those from areas free of pests. The county is continuing an aggressive edu- cational campaign against the sharpshooters, and its Board of Supervisors recently desig- nated May as glassy-winged sharpshooter awareness month. Homeowners are asked to buy their plants only from certified Napa County plant retailers where plants are thor- oughly inspected for any signs of GWSS or other serious pests. Clark also stressed that the Pierce's Dis- ease/GWSS Program is up for renewal. The California Assembly passed AB 1642 on May 27 without a single "no" vote. AB 1642 would extend the Pierce's Disease/Glassy- winged Sharpshooter Program for another five years, subject to a favorable industry referendum in spring 2015. Action in the state Senate is pending. The glassy-winged sharpshooter is an inva- sive pest from the southeast that was inadver- tently introduced into southern California in the early 1990s, most likely as egg masses on ornamental or agricultural plants. It is a large leafhopper that obtains its nu- trients by feeding on plant fluids in the water- conducting tissues of a plant (the xylem). The real problem associated with the glassy- winged sharpshooter is that it can spread the disease-causing bacterium Xylella fastidiosa from one plant to another. This bacterium is the causal agent of Pierce's disease, a devastat- ing ailment for grapevines. —Paul Franson Five California counties found GWSS eggs in shipments from the same plant broker. For more information contact your sales representative or email us at info@seguinmoreau.com ICONE RANGE ....designed for white wines, and now part of our PACIFIC OCEAN Napa sonoma san Mateo sutter sacramento C A L I F O R N I A