The one fungus-killer the county has already started testing for, metalaxyl, turned up in low levels in many wells, Trent said. Already, farmers and vintners on the East End are restricted from using many chemicals that are commonplace elsewhere because the local water supply is so vulnerable to contamination. There are no organic vintners in the region. It's not only the environmental benefits. It would be more economical, it would make the work more fun, and it would enlarge the area of the world where you can grow high-quality grapes.
Local environmentalists are just as enthusiastic.
The process carries environmental risks as well as benefits, however. Some experts fear that genetically engineered crops will escape into the wild and cross-fertilize with native plants, altering their characteristics. They also suggest that pests, viruses and bacteria will evolve ways to overcome the engineered defenses of the super-crops, just as they have gradually developed resistance to many chemical pesticides. In addition, biotechnology companies are trying to recapture the immense cost of their genetic research in controversial ways. Industry leader Monsanto Corp., for example, is selling transgenic seeds that work only in combination with the company's existing chemical pesticides, and hopes to soon begin selling patented seeds that have been engineered to be fertile for only one year.