The event ends at 2 p.m. Saturday when they will be treated to a meal prior to their departure. New field guide helps grape growers Grape growers throughout the state concerned about Pierce s disease, the glassy-winged sharpshooter and how to keep this potentially deadly problem out of their vineyards will want a copy of a new field guide from the University of California. Pierce s Disease, a publication written by UC scientists, is a concise and authoritative handbook on the disease, its spread, and strategies for containing the problem. This fully-illustrated publication allows growers to recognize early symptoms of the disease, easily identify the insects that spread it and craft effective management strategies to reduce damage to their vineyards. Pierce s disease is caused by a deadly bacterium that chokes off a grape plant s ability to pump water from the soil through its tissue.
Diseased vines become nonproductive and usually die within a year or two after infection.
Currently, there is no known cure for the disease. Philip J. Armentrout, whose 22-year firefighting career has been spent with the Chino Valley Fire District, has been appointed fire chief in Murrieta. City Manager Stephen Mandoki, who announced Armentrout s selection today, said the new chief stood out among a field of excellent candidates. Armentrout is scheduled to succeed former chief Jerry Allen, who retired last fall, on March 26. The Murrieta department was formed in 1947 and was a completely volunteer group of firefighters until growth of the area saw the agency become a fulltime, paid force in 1987.