Unified Fight Pledged Against Vineyard Pest
Environmentalists and grape growers have decided to stop fighting each other and present a united front against the vineyard pest known as the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
The compromise, approved by Sonoma County supervisors Tuesday, allows forced spraying of synthetic pesticides only when all nontoxic attacks have been tried.
“It’s an accomplishment,” said organic farmer Shepherd Bliss of Sebastopol. “It’s a triumph.”
The agreement, which has the approval of state agriculture officials, follows months of negotiations by growers and environmentalists. The sharpshooter is a tiny bug that carries the bacteria that causes Pierce’s disease, an incurable ailment that kills grapevines and other crops by interfering with their ability to absorb water and nutrients.
The sharpshooter hasn’t infested Sonoma County yet, but it has wreaked havoc in Southern California. Pierce’s disease has caused $40 million in losses in the Temecula area of Riverside County in recent years.
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