Welcome to SCRI Trunk Disease Project Page
Please use the menu on the top to learn about our objectives, publications and presentations from our research efforts, who we are, and links to trunk disease resources. If you scroll down on this page, you will see our three main objectives and project descriptions
Presentations from recent project board meeting
Every year, our group meet with the advisory board for the project, which consists of stakeholders and legislatures. You can find out about progresses made by our research and extension group.
Trunk Disease Pamphlet
Here’s our recent recommendations on grapevine trunk disease identification and management for CA.
"Grape Trunk Disease Diagnostic Key" Web Application
With this grapevine trunk disease key application, you can pick a series of symptoms to identify trunk disease and to obtain management strategy information.
Economic analysis of early adaption of trunk disease management
On this site you will find useful figures and tables from an economic analysis of early adoption of three field-tested, preventative practices (delayed pruning, double pruning, and application of pruning wound protectant) that will help you understand the potential costs and benefits from adopting trunk disease preventative practices in young winegrape vineyards.
Wood-canker diseases significantly limit the profitable lifespan of vineyards and orchards. Annual yield losses due to Eutypa dieback and Botryosphaeria dieback, two widespread wood-canker diseases of grape (aka trunk diseases), account for 14% of the gross producer value of CA wine grapes. Trunk diseases eventually infect every vineyard in CA and are the main depreciable driver of vineyard longevity. Annual yield losses of CA pistachios to Panicle blight are reported to be 20 million lbs. In almond, they attack the trunk and the base of major limbs. Yield losses accumulate each year, as there are no effective methods to eradicate the wood infections. As such, diseased orchards and vineyards must be replanted on a truncated cycle, and the high start-up costs are not repaid. Therefore, the best strategy is prevention.
Our long-term goal is to extend the longevity and productivity of vineyards and orchards by developing a suite of detection tools, economic data to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of preventative practices, and resistant plant material for replanting diseased vineyards and orchards.
In 2011, we were awarded an SCRI Planning Grant, which brought together industry representatives and a new, diverse research team of plant and social scientists, to help tackle wood-canker diseases from various fronts. In 2012, we were awarded a two-year SCRI Standard Research and Extension Project (SREP). At our 2014 annual meeting, the Advisory Board and research team reviewed progress to date and came to a consensus on the proposed objectives, projects, and hypotheses for 2014-2017. The purpose of this page is to show our progresses and also provide trunk disease management information as a portal.
