Vineyard Views & Events

The UCCE Fire Network has prepared a series of educational resources on wildfire preparedness for agricultural landowners on the topics of defensible space, structure hardening, and protection for crops, vineyards and orchards.

Access the resources on the UC ANR Fire Network website. Or follow the newsletter link below for a summary document.

Questions? Contact Tori Norville, UC ANR Fire Science Advisor for Napa, Sonoma, Marin

Dr. Qicheng Tang recently joined the UCCE-Napa team, and is responsible for research and education in water resources and resiliency. There are many ways to get involved with Dr. Tang's program, including a newsletter, seminars and community science projects. Follow the link below for additional information, and feel free to reach out to Dr. Tang directly to introduce yourself.

Breanna Martinico, Human-Wildlife Interactoins Advisor, is launching a long-term American Kestrel nest box monitoring program in Napa and Solano Counties. Follow the newsletter link below for more details on the project and how to join the monitoring network, with either existing or newly installed nest boxes.

Registration is now open for the 26th Annual North Coast IPM Seminar (Webinar) on November 29 & 30, 2023, 8:00 AM-12:15 PM, daily.

https://ucanr.edu/2023ncipm

Questions? Contact Dr. Cindy Kron, North Coast IPM Advisor.

Follow the link below to access the complete agenda.

During drought years, we often experience large VMB populations, putting Napa vineyards at increased risk for crop damage and pest spread. Respond accordingly by scheduling early interventions to reduce populations.

Educational resources and FAQ are answered on our website.

Follow the newsletter link for an early April update on VMB populations.

The Napa County Agricultural Commissioner's Office has reported the following information regarding the herbicide Weed Slayer.

"It has come to our attention that the organic herbicide, Weed Slayer, Agro Research International, is under investigation by the California Department of Food & Agriculture and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation for possible product contamination.

If you have any product in storage, we recommend that conventional and particularly organically certified growers do not apply the herbicide pending results from the ongoing investigations."

If you have any questions, please contact staff of the Ag Commissioner's office in your county.

For Napa, that is agcommissioner@countyofnapa.org or (707) 253-4357.

Life cycle and monitoring guidelines for threecornered alfalfa hopper in vineyards.

Three leafhopper species--western grape, variegated and Virginia creeper--are present in Napa vineyards. Both variegated and Virginia creeper are invasive species, whose range has expanded considerably in Napa in the last 10 years. Proper identification of vineyard leafhoppers is critical to development of a successful management strategy. Access the newsletter link below for a "Quick Reference Guide to North Coast Vineyard Leafhoppers".

The UCCE-Napa viticulture team has a new resource for Pierce's disease: https://ucceviticulturenapa.wixsite.com/uccevitnapa/bgss-live-map

On this website you will find:

Blue-green sharpshooter trap counts from county-wide monitoring program

Guidelines for trapping blue-green sharpshooters

Resources for identifying common vectors

Sharpshooters and spittlebugs are vectors of Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce's disease of grapevines. In 2020, the UCCE-Napa viticulture team, with support from the Napa County Wine grape Pest and Disease Control District, launched a county-wide monitoring program for blue-green sharpshooter (BGSS), the most common vector in the north coast region. Trap data are updated in real time and are accessible via the link above. Trap data are viewable by growing region, by date, and by landscape category (riparian, ornamental, other).

Spotted lanternfly is a newly invasive pest that has been found in several eastern states. Feeding activity and copious honeydew production can damage vines and fruit trees and promote the growth of sooty mold. 

There is great potential for dispersal of this insect from the eastern US to other regions, given that females will lay eggs on a variety of inanimate objects (pallets, outdoor equipment, railway cars) that may be moved large distances.   

UCCE IPM Advisor Cindy Kron developed these resources to support identification and detection efforts:

http://cesonoma.ucanr.edu/Integrated_Pest_Management685/Spotted_Lanternfly_187/

https://ucanr.edu/sites/SoCo/files/315819.pdf

Vigilance and efforts to identify early invaders are critical to a successful response, should this pest be introduced to California. Report sightings and bring suspicious specimens to your local Agricultural Commissioner's office for confirmation. 

Follow the link to the newsletter below for more information on the status of resistance testing for grape powdery mildew for the DMI (FRAC 3) fungicides. 

Vine mealybug has been found on recent nursery shipments of green-growing vines in the North Coast region. 

Follow the newsletter link below to learn more. The newsletter can be used as training tool for crews inspecting vines as they are received. 

In Napa County, staff of the Agricultural Commissioner inspect all incoming shipments of green-growing vines and nursery plants. If you are expecting a shipment, contact the Agricultural Commissioner's office: (707) 253-4357

In early September 2015, the California Department of Food & Agriculture confirmed the presence of thousand cankers disease of walnut in Napa County. 

Access the newsletter below for additional information on this fungal disease and the beetle that moves it from tree to tree. 

On June 24, 2015, staff of the Napa County Agricultural Commissioner found one male Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer in a pheromone-baited trap in a vineyard on Tubbs Lane in Calistoga. 

UCCE Advisors Lucia Varela and Monica Cooper developed a "Monitoring Guide for Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer" so that vineyard owners, growers and workers could familiarize themselves with the pest's life stages and feeding habits.

Please use the newsletter link below to access the Monitoring Guide (English and Spanish versions). 

If you find this pest or feeding damage in Napa County please contact the office of the Agricultural Commissioner: 707-253-4357, agcommissioner@countyofnapa.org OR contact UC Cooperative Extension: 707-253-4221, cenapa@ucanr.edu

For additional information on biology and management of this pest, access the UC IPM Pest Management Guide for Western Grapeleaf Skeletonizer. 

In April, we observed leaf symptoms in select vineyards consistent with feeding damage by arboreal camel crickets. 

For photos and additional information, access the newsletter using the link provided below. 

Resources for water management of grapevines under drought conditions (courtesy of our colleagues in Australia) are available in the Irrigation section of the UC Cooperative Extension-Napa County website: http://cenapa.ucanr.edu/Napa_County_Programs/Viticulture/Irrigation/

Considerations for managing vine growth & yield under water-limiting conditions include:

1. Managing crop size through reductions in bud numbers and/or thinning after set. Adjust crop size to predicted water availability. 

2. If possible, target supplementary irrigation to critical physiological periods: (a) budburst to flowering, (b) flowering to fruit set, (c) veraison to harvest, (d) harvest to leaf fall--hopefully will be raining by then!

3. Organic residues (from cover crops or weeds) and mulches may moderate soil surface temperatures.  

Update on Virginia creeper leafhopper (VCLH) populations:

Populations of Virginia creeper leafhopper (VCLH) have been identified in Napa County, in Pope Valley.

Follow the newsletter link below for additional information on VCLH and variegated leafhopper populations in Napa, including photos and links to additional training tools. Early detection and identification can be critical to avoiding economic injury. 

Dr. Arturo Calderon, Postdoctoral scholar, USDA and UC Davis has released an instructional video (in Spanish) on the use of the pressure bomb to measure grapevine leaf water potential. 

We hope you will find this video to be a useful training tool.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83FXDi8Vkxg

Since its introduction to the United States from Asia in the 1990's, the brown marmorated stink bug has become established in the mid-Atlantic states, as well as Portland, OR and Los Angeles, CA. 

You can support pest prevention efforts by being aware, recognizing the pest, and reporting suspicious specimens. 

The UC IPM Pest Alert Card for BMSB provides information on identification and damage. Consider printing and displaying it to increase awareness.  

We have updated our newsletter addressing phylloxera on resistant rootstocks.

Follow the newsletter link below to read our updated report.  

In January, Dr. Gubler and I visited a vineyard that seemed to have very clear symptoms of a trunk disease (Eutypa or Botryosphaeria). Yet when we looked closer, we determined the symptoms were not caused by a pathogen...link to the newsletter below to see photographs and read our full report. 

Workshop Flyer
Thursday, May 26, 2011
9:00 am - 11:00 am
UC Davis Oakville Experimental Vineyard
1380 Oakville Grade Road
Oakville

Speaker:  Dr. Roger Baldwin, UC IPM, Statewide Vertebrate Control Advisor

Dr. Baldwin will provide an overview of pocket gophers and discuss the use of baiting and trapping.  He will also provide demonstrations on baiting and trapping techniques.

Attendance is limited to 50 participants (3 maximum per company).
Pre-registration is required.
1.5 CE hours have been approved for this workshop.

Register at http://ucanr.org/gophercontrolworkshop

It's that time of year: shriveled berries on ripening clusters. See the attached article by Krasnow et al. in California Agriculture. The authors describe the distinctive symptoms of 4 common types of berry shrivel disorder in grape in California.

Leafroll Spread and Plant Material information and survey form; Planting Material Workshop flyer and registration form; Napa County UCCE Viticulture Farm Advisor position, more..

Viticulture Program Representative, View from Below the Vine, Weed Field Meeting

New Weed Advisor in Napa Light Brown Apple Moth Herbicide Resistant Weeds ... More

Vine Mealybug - Little Good News Berry Shrivel Napa Valley Viticultural Fair ...More

Vine Mealybug Update UC Budget Woes Continue Olive Fly Hits Hard PP Research Symposium New Publications