A Quick Word on Pierce’s Disease (and Where to Get Help)
As we move through the tail end of summer, it’s a good time to be keeping an eye out for signs of Pierce’s Disease (PD) in your vineyard. It is a disease that is on a lot of our minds and it is more likely to show up later in the season (though you’re also likely to see symptoms of other issues as well, like nutrition imbalance, viruses, crown gall, etc.)
A couple of our excellent county agents have testing kits on hand and can help you figure out whether PD is the problem or if something else might be going on.
If you’re in the northeast part of the state, reach out to Clark MacAllister in Lumpkin County or Nathan Eason in White County. They both have kits available and can walk you through the sampling process. If you are not in one of those counties, you can still reach out to your county agent and myself for more information. We have some additional projects underway that are looking to track incidence in more areas.
If you suspect PD or just want a second set of eyes on a problem vine, give your county agent a call or shoot them an email. Early identification helps not just your vineyard, but the whole region’s long-term vine health.
More information on Pierce’s Disease and its identification and management can be found here: https://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1514&title=pierces-disease-of-grape-identification-and-management
