GRAPES
type: Concept
in scheme: projects
definition: 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 progress…

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type: Concept