G - I
GRAPES
Problem: California winegrape cultivation is vital to the State's economy and provides the main support for the nation's &#3612 billion retail wine industry. In 1994 the wine industry provided 194,000 direct jobs nationally, with total wages of &#363.5 billion. Tax assessments on wine remitted &#361.6 billion to federal, state and local governments (source: Barsby & Associates). Since the late 1980's, California wine growers have been faced with destruction of their vines by infestation of a root louse named phylloxera (biotype B). The louse kills vines by feeding on their roots. There is no way to eradicate the pest, and infested areas must eventually be replanted on a phylloxera-resistant or tolerant rootstock. The infestation is present in eight California counties, and is particularly severe in Napa and Sonoma Counties where thousands of acres of premiere vineyards have already been destroyed or are scheduled for future replacement. Approach: During the 1993-1995 time period, NASA Ames Research Center (Ecosystem Science and Technology Branch) collaborated with industry and university partners to develop and transfer the use of remote sensing and associated computerized technologies as a tool for vineyard managers to use in addressing the phylloxera problem. NASA's partners on this project included the University of California Cooperative Extension (Napa County), University of California Davis (Entomology Dept.), California State University Chico (School of Agriculture) and the Robert Mondavi Winery. Staff from each organization brought unique expertise to the project, working together in the field, laboratory and computer room. The work was co-funded by NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology and the Robert Mondavi Winery. Project results are being made available to the wine industry, commercial remote sensing product vendors, agricultural community and general public through invited oral presentations! and written reports. The typically rapid progression of phylloxera infestation was characterized for the 1989-1993 time period across a ~1000 acre Mondavi property using retrospective color infrared aerial photography. During the 1993 growing season, field and aircraft data were collected from Napa Valley test sites with special sensors designed to study earth resources, including plant stress manifested as reductions in vegetation canopy density. Infestations are detectable in this remotely sensed imagery, even in the early stage when phylloxera are underground eating vine roots but the above ground plant still appears healthy. Significance: By using remote sensing and associated analysis techniques, growers can attain earlier knowledge on the rate of spread of the infestation, and the rate of decline for affected vines. It is anticipated that this source of information will allow for more informed replanting decisions, helping California wineries retain market share. For more information, link to "http://geo.arc.nasa.gov/sge/grapes/grapes.html"