October 2020

  • Expanded GWSS Area-Wide Treatments Thanks to PD/GWSS Board Funding
  • PD/GWSS Board-Funded Researchers Presenting at Sustainable Ag Expo
  • In the News: Can Scientists Stop the Plague of the Spotted Lanternfly?
Expanded GWSS Area-Wide Treatments Thanks to PD/GWSS Board Funding

Populations of glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) increased dramatically in Kern and Tulare counties this summer, leading the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board to provide $600,000 to the area-wide management program coordinated by the United States Department of Agriculture. The additional funding from the PD/GWSS Board was matched by the Consolidated Central Valley Table Grape Pest & Disease Control District.

Coordinators are planning for the treatment of 18,500 acres in Tulare County and 25,000 acres in Kern County to kill overwintering GWSS in citrus. This population increase is most likely due to a combination of warmer weather, an increase in organic citrus acreage, and reduced treatments in previous years due to budget constraints. Sharpshooters can be challenging to control effectively in organic citrus due to a lack of available products offering long residual activity. Click to learn more about the area-wide management program
PD/GWSS Board-Funded Researchers Presenting at the Sustainable Ag Expo

Discover the latest viticulture research and technology from the world's top experts at the 2020 Sustainable Ag Expo, including a number of sessions about pests & diseases with researchers funded by the Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Board.

The virtual event will be held Nov. 9 – Dec. 4, 2020. Click here for the full program and registration information.
In the News: Can Scientists Stop the Plague of the Spotted Lanternfly?
By Jess MacGregor, Smithsonian Magazine

“The voracious, shape-shifting insect native to Asia is attacking crops, vineyards and trees. The four-winged, multicolored, polka-dotted adult is as distinctive as it is destructive. First seen in Pennsylvania in 2014, it has infested five other states.”