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24 WINES&VINES January 2016 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS N apa, Calif.—Sometimes it seems as if a new pest or disease threatens Califor- nia grapevines every week (see "'Huge' Outbreak of Pierce's Dis- ease" on page 20), but many tools are available to fight them. Ex- perts discussed some of the most promising approaches for fighting vineyard pests at the Napa Valley Grapegrowers' Rootstock confer- ence held Nov. 12 Carole Meredith, professor emerita at the University of Cali- fornia, Davis, and co-owner of Lagier Meredith Vineyard in Napa County, gave an overview of ge- netics, adding that while methods have become more refined over time, genetic modification is as old as agriculture. For centuries, farmers have selected clones using variation naturally present in plant varieties, and they've crossed grape varieties or species with different traits. Molecular genetic modification ("genetic engineering"), however, is new. It adds characteristics from another plant, animal or microbe using specific changes that add, modify or eliminate a single gene or several genes. Looming over all genetic mod- ification is some economic reality: U.S. consumers are used to iden- tifying wines by variety. If you modify a vine, can you still call it Cabernet Sauvignon? Moreover, some consumers worry about the safety of genetically engineered plants for people and the environ- ment. Against this background, Andy Walker, professor at UC Davis, discussed his work breeding PD- resistant wine grapes using tradi- tional crossing and selection aided by advanced tools. Using marker-assisted selec- tion that allows them to speed up development, his team got flowers and fruit in the second year from DNA extracted from seedlings. They selected for lack of PD symptoms and low bacterial levels with repeated back crosses to pro- duce vines that were 50% vinifera, then 75%, 88%, 94% and 97%. Walker's team made wine from the later crosses. Walker has grown various ver- sions of these vines in California, Texas, Alabama and Florida. Some of the most promising vines (all either 94% or 97% vinifera) show no undesirable flavors or aromas. The research team also developed three PD-resistant rootstocks. —Paul Franson Fighting Pests and Diseases With Genetic Tools We've Got the Competition Beat by More Than a Foot! • Proprietary one-piece 59" dimples are larger than the rest of the industry • More effective heating and cooling at any level • Tanks from 250 gallons to 250,000 gallons • Reduce plumbing costs with greater dimple coverage • Westec's team is ready to help with your tank design or tank farm layout Industry Leading One-Piece 59" Dimple Jackets "Westec has custom-designed and built all of our tanks, catwalks and transfer lines for our specific needs. We value their craftsmanship, creativity, and expertise and highly recommend them as makers of premium wine tanks." – BECKY, PICKETT ROAD WINE COMPANY Call us today for more information and estimates. (707) 431-9342 | westectank.com C M Y CM MY CY CMY K westec_ad_winesandvines_dec2015.pdf 1 10/28/15 11:56 AM Grapevines growing along the Napa River in Yountville, Calif., have 94% Vitis vinifera parentage and are resistant to Pierce's disease.