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Glassy-winged sharpshooter, a pest to grape vines, eradicated in county 

glassy-winged sharpshooter At the request of the San Luis Obispo County Agricultural Commissioner, Martin Settevendemie, the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture declared recently that the glassy-winged sharpshooter eradicated from a small area in the city of San Luis Obispo and lifted the quarantine established for this area. This was the only population of glassy-winged sharpshooter known to exist in San Luis Obispo County.

Invasive and exotic pests pose a significant threat to local agriculture, native habitat and landscapes. One such pest is the glassy-winged sharpshooter, which was discovered in the Arbors neighborhood of San Luis Obispo in 2010. According to Settevendemie, “The Glassy-winged Sharpshooter has the ability to transmit a bacterium responsible for multiple plant diseases including Pierce’s Disease, which is fatal to grapevines, and other plant diseases affecting landscapes and nursery stock.” The wine grape industry in San Luis Obispo County accounts for approximately $200 million in gross annual receipts, making it a significant economic driver in the local economy.

In response to the detection of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, the San Luis Obispo County Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures, with cooperation from state and federal agencies and local residents, conducted a swift and thorough eradication program to eliminate this pest and prevent its spread to other locations. Monitoring of the area, including visual landscape surveys and high density insect trapping, continued for a period of two years following the last detection and ended on November 1, 2013 with no new detections of the pest.

George Donati, a local wine grape grower stated, “We want to thank the County Agricultural Commissioner and the residents of the Arbors neighborhood for their diligence and proactive approach to the glassy-winged sharpshooter detection. This is an excellent example of cooperation between the urban and agricultural sectors that led to a positive outcome to help maintain the viability of these beautiful vineyards and our local tourist industry in the most sustainable manner possible.”

Settevendemie added, “I am proud of the hard work of my staff and the cooperation we received from the agricultural community and the residential property owners in addressing this issue. I want to thank everyone who helped in the success of this project.”

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About the author: Publisher Scott Brennan

Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog.