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- Q) Why was the assessment and PD/GWSS Board created?
A) California Assembly Bill 1394 created an assessment to raise funds
earmarked for research related to the Pierce's Disease bacterium (Xylella
fastidiosa) and the Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter. As part of the bill,
the Pierce's Disease/Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board was created to
direct those funds. The assessment pertains only to grapes grown in
California and crushed for wine, wine vinegar, juice concentrate or
beverage brandy, and was renewed 2006. Senate Bill 1650 which
extends the assessment until 2011, was signed by the governor was
overwhelming passed by California's winegrape growers.
- Q) How long has the PD/GWSS Board been in existence?
A) The Board was established in July 2001.
- Q) How many people are on the board?
A) The board consists of at least 14 members and no more than 15
members, with a specific number of representatives who are producers
and processors in the grape industry and appointed by the CDFA
Secretary. Click here
for a list
- Q) At what rates have winegrape growers been assessed?
A) Each year the PD/GWSS Board makes recommendations to CDFA for
the assessment rate which by law can be no greater than $3 per
$1,000 of value. The assessment rate is generally set in the summer
just before most of the harvest for that year takes place. For
example, the rate for 2003 was set in the summer of 2003.
The first year the rate was set, 2001, the rate was set at $3 per $1000.
2002 -
$2 per $1,000
2003 - $2 per $1,000
2004 - $2 per $1,000
2005 - $2
per $1,000
2006 - $2 per $1,000
2007 - $1.50 per $1,000
2008 - $1.00 per $1,000
2009 - $1.00 per $1,000
2010 - $ .75 per $1,000
2011 - $ .75 per $1,000
- Q) Why has the rate been going
down?
A) In the beginning there was a great deal of
basic research that needed to be done just to gain an understanding
for what methods would be the most likely to lead to a solution. As
time has past, and more has been learned, the research has become
more focused. Now that many of the basics are known, the board can
afford to be much more selective in the research that is funded.
- Q) How does the Board review and prioritize projects?
A) Each year a Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued to solicit research proposals from the research community. Once the proposals have been received, they go through an extensive, multi-level review process where they are evaluated by outside experts, panels of scientists, and committees comprised of scientists, research program administrators, and industry representatives. During the review process the PD/GWSS Research Scientific Advisory Panel (RSAP) provides input on which proposals best match currently-recommended research priorities.
- Q) How can the research being done act as a platform for long-term improvements?
A) The research being funded by the PD/GWSS Board has already gone a long way to improving our understanding of how insect vectors infect grapevines as well as how bacteria invade and spread in the plants. Research ranging from the use of tiny wasps to reduce GWSS populations to developing methods to fast-track the breeding of PD resistant grapevines can be used for a wide range of purposes in the grape industry, such as improving winegrape stock or fighting the next invasive pest that invades California.
- Q) How much has the assessment raised?
A) As of 2009 the assessment has raised $34 million. This money has
been effectively leveraged more than ten-fold to fund a host of
other activities to fight PD and GWSS.
- Q) What are some upcoming research projects for the future?
A) To continue with the significant progress that has been already
achieved, the program is currently conducting these promising field trials:
- New PD-resistant grape varieties resulting from
traditional
breeding
- PD disruption in grape varieties resulting from
genetic
modification
- PD-controlling rootstocks that disrupt the disease in
commercial scion varieties
- Bacterial endophytes that colonize a vine’s water-
conducting tissue and disrupt the growth of PD
- External sprays of compounds/molecules that disrupt
PD existing vines
- Q) What is the total amount that has been spent on control,
containment, research and inspections?
A) Here is a break down by year of the total spent since 1999. The
total are a combination of federal, state, & industry funds. This
includes pilot projects, the Grapevine Loss Assistance Program, the
Nursery Pest Mitigation Program, research, and many other
activities.
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State
Fiscal Year |
Total
$$ Allocated for PD/GWSS |
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FY
1999-00 |
$
30,899,000 |
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FY
2000-01 |
$
17,740,000 |
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FY
2001-02 |
$
38,513,000 |
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FY
2002-03 |
$
43,346,000 |
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FY
2003-04 |
$
45,004,000 |
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FY
2004-05 |
$
39,050,000 |
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FY
2005-06 |
$
41,907,000 |
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FY
2006-07 |
$
39,619,000 |
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FY
2007-08 |
$
38,736,000 |
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FY
2008-09 |
$
37,248,000 |
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FY
2009-10 |
$
37,435,000 |
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FY
2010-11 |
$
29,063,000 |
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FY
2011-12 |
info
pending |
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|
Total |
$
438,560,000 |
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- Q) When did the GWSS arrive in California?
A) It is believed that it arrived in California in the late 1980s,
probably from Florida. However, it wasn't until 1999, when grape vines
started dying on a massive scale in Temecula, that the full extent of
the threat the GWSS posed to California agriculture was recognized.
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- Q) Why is it a threat to grapes?
A) The GWSS carries a disease called Pierce's disease that is deadly
to grape vines.
- Q) Does it pose a threat to other plants?
A) Yes - the GWSS is known to feed on more than 100 plant species found
in urban and rural landscapes and spreads other diseases such as Leaf
scorch to almonds and Alfalfa dwarf to alfalfa. In addition, GWSS can
weaken plants making them susceptible to diseases not carried by the GWSS
itself.
- Q) How can the GWSS be eliminated
from California?
A) There are a number of effective ways of control the GWSS ranging from
chemical treatments to the release of biological control agents, such as
a tiny wasp that feeds on the eggs of the GWSS. However, GWSS has
established itself in much of Southern and Central California, so at this
time total eradication of the insect from the state is not possible.
- Q) How widespread in the GWSS in California?
A) As of January 2010 there were infestation of GWSS in 13 counties.
Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San
Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Solano, Tulare,
Ventura. However, there have been infestations of GWSS as far north as
Butt County.
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- Q) What is Pierce's Disease?
A) The PD bacterium clogs a vine's water conducting vessels, interfering
with their ability to draw water and other nutrients from the soil. In
effect the vine slowly starves to death.
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- Q) How long has PD been in California?
A) PD was first identified in California over 100 years ago and was then
called Anaheim Disease because it was killing grape vines in and around
Anaheim. Over the decades, there have been several major outbreaks of the
disease. The introduction of the GWSS into California has given PD an
effective new vector to spread the disease.
- Q) Can it be transmitted to humans?
A) No – While Pierce's Disease can be found just about everywhere in
California it only affects certain plants and cannot be transmitted
to humans. Many native species of plants host PD while showing
little or no signs of any infection.
- Q) How long does it take to kill a vine?
A) Depending on the age and health of the vine, generally two to four
years.
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