The Sunday Riverside Press-Enterprise ran a lengthy article marking the 10th anniversary of news that rocked the fledging Temecula wine industry: newly arrived glassy-winged sharpshooters were spreading Pierce's disease and threatening to wipe out grapevines.
The article said the region is a key battlefront in the quest for ways to overcome the challenges of producing quality wines in the presence of GWSS. Almost $400 million has been spent on Pierce's research in California since the outbreak, the newspaper reported, but experts believe it could be 7 to 10 years before the experiments yield a practical solution.
Press-Enterprise reporter Jeff Horseman included a rundown of research by UC Riverside, UC Davis and UC Berkeley scientists. Projects mentioned include:
- Taking benign Pierce's strains from mulberry trees and injecting into grapevines in organic and conventional vineyards in Napa and Sonoma counties.
- Using genetics to trigger a "signal molecule" that tells the bacteria to stop spreading in the vine
- Attracting natural predators of sharpshooters (that don't harm grapevines) with buckwheat flowers
- Finding a grape gene that can deactivate the bacteria's enzyme and stop the breakup of xylem membranes
- Cross-breeding European grapes with naturally Pierce's-resistant native grapevines, mainly from Mexico, to create grapevines that can ward off the disease while producing quality wine
UC scientists named in the story were:
- Nick Toscano, UC Riverside
- Bruce Kirkpatrick, UC Davis
- Andy Walker, UC Davis
- Steven Lindow, UC Berkeley
- Mark Hoddle, UC Riverside
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