Research & Outreach at Work for You
The PD/GWSS Board invests in research and outreach to protect vineyards, manage pest and disease risk and deliver practical and sustainable solutions.
This grower-funded research drives advancements in pest and disease management to reduce the economic impact on the winegrape industry. These investments support work from early-stage studies to applied research, helping fill knowledge gaps and move solutions closer to use in the field.
Since 2001, the Board has invested $62.1 million in 320 research grants addressing key challenges, including PD, grapevine viruses and the insects that spread them.
PD/GWSS Research Highlights
- Filling knowledge gaps in Pierce’s disease (PD) and glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS)
- Studying how PD spreads in vineyards
- Investigating genetic resistance to PD
- Developing and testing PD-resistant winegrapes
- Evaluating wine quality from PD-resistant grapes
- Using biological controls to protect vineyards
- Managing GWSS resistance to insecticides
Other Pest & Disease Research Highlights
- Helping to eradicate the European grapevine moth
- Identifying insect vectors of grapevine viruses
- Studying how grapevine viruses spread
- Understanding virus impacts on vine health and grape quality
- Developing management strategies for brown marmorated stink bugs and mealybugs
- Exploring resistant grape cultivars and rootstocks for vine mealybug
Meeting Research and Outreach Priorities
Each year a Request for Proposals is issued to solicit research and outreach proposals from experts in the field. Once the proposals have been received, they go through an extensive, multi-level review process where they are evaluated by outside experts, panels of scientists, and committees comprised of scientists, research program administrators, and industry representatives. Read more about the Request for Proposals and how to apply.