Currently more than 35 percent of citrus acreage in Kern County is within sharpshooter red zone areas and very little has been done to suppress populations. Drake, who joined the discussions as a panelist, said there are a variety of pest management tools being tested in Temecula vineyards. In 1998, UC Riverside experts made the connection between the sharpshooter and Pierce's disease. So far this year more than 30 percent of vines near citrus have been removed. Drake said he expects a 55 percent to 60 percent loss of vines next year.
Some vineyards now are no longer economic to farm.
But those that continue to produce are away from citrus. And of those, we find the best resistance in chenin blanc, riesling and syrah. But remember, these losses didn't emerge in the first years on mature vines. Callaway Vineyards, the largest grower in Temecula, has already announced that it is shifting its main source for grapes to the Central Coast. In the meantime, Drake joked that the Temecula growing region is quickly becoming a laboratory for scientific researchers looking for a cure for Pierces's disease and ways to control the sharpshooter.