Sarah Atwood, with Inphatec, will give a short talk and demonstration of their new technology for Pierce’s disease management. The demonstration will take place at 11:00 a.m. till noon on Monday the 28th of February at Cenita Vineyards (591 Dock Dorsey Road, Cleveland, GA). This is low key, but please visit if you are interested in learning more about this recently registered technology for grapes. It involves injecting phage (virus) into the plant to kill the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease. Note that we are not promoting this technology, as it has not yet been tested under Georgia conditions. However, this will be a great opportunity to discuss the product and its potential utility. Thanks to Greg Crumbley for hosting and to Nathan Eason for help in planning.
Phil Brannen
Phil Brannen is a Professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management, where he also received an M.S. in Plant Pathology, followed by a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. He has extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia – conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed towards developing IPM practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduate level Field Pathology Course, the History of Plant Diseases and their Impact on Human Societies Course, team-teaches the IPM Course, coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region Course (Cortona, Italy), and guest lectures in numerous other courses throughout the year.