Wines & Vines

March 2015 practical winery & vineyard 47 CDFA also works closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to manage the area-wide control program to keep GWSS numbers low in infested areas. Keeping those numbers down is key to preventing the spread of PD in those areas and helping prevent GWSS moving further north in California. The CDFA has been key in developing a bio-control method to help contain GWSS in the form of tiny parasitic wasps that prey on GWSS eggs. More than 2.4 mil- lion wasps have been released at various locations around California, and at some sites the wasps have established them- selves as permanent bio-control agents. However, these programs were only intended to be temporary. Their purpose is meant to be a delaying action to buy time for science to find a permanent solution. Research follows money Prior to 2000, comparatively little research had been done on PD. While there were some PD hot spots around the state, most of California experienced little threat from PD, so only relatively small amounts of funding had been devoted to finding a solution. That changed in 2001 with establish- ment of the wine grape assessment. Soon more than 100 research projects related to PD and GWSS were under way and bearing results. In the next five years more was learned about PD than in the previous 50 years. Much of this was basic research that laid a solid foundation for other research to be built upon. Nearly 15 years later, positive results are coming out of field trials, and wine grape growers could have commercially available solutions within the next few years. No cure is coming Very early, researchers warned all the stakeholders involved not to expect a cure. A cure for infected grapevines would not be discovered for many reasons. However, there were several other methods that offered solutions to create grapevines that would be unaffected by the Xylella fastidi- osa (Xf) bacterium that causes PD. Traditional plant breeding and genetic modification were potential methods,but no one was sure what might work. The PD/GWSS Board elected to explore all viable options. To aid in this, the PD/GWSS Board estab- lished the PD/GWSS research scientific advisory panel (RSAP). The RSAP is a group of scientists who review all the different research pro- posals and then make recommendations about those they believe are the most likely to meet with success. They rep- resent scientists who work in different disciplines from across the United States. "The Wine Institute co-sponsored AB 1642 (Chesbro), a Pierce's disease/ glassy-winged sharpshooter referendum bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown to extend the industry assessment for another five years. The wine industry's cost-sharing with U.S. Department of Agriculture is producing results. The vast majority of the industry dollars has been allocated for research solutions, and a traditionally bred rootstock resistant to PD/GWSS for commercial use is very promising. We look forward to an affirmative vote when the CDFA conducts a vote of California wineries and growers in late March 2015." —Mike Falasco, Wine Institute vice president, California State Relations G R A P E G R O W I N G

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