Newly Identified Enzyme May Be the Culprit in Pierce’s Disease Grapevine Damage

Patricia Bailey — January 12, 2016 - 12:00am

�ٺ��Ƶ plant scientists have identified an enzyme that appears to play a key role in the insect-transmitted bacterial infection of grapevines with Pierce’s disease, which annually costs California’s grape and wine industries more than $100 million.

The researchers hope that the discovery, which runs counter to existing theories, will lead to new diagnostics and potential treatments for Pierce’s disease. Their findings are reported in Scientific Reports, an online journal of the Nature Publishing Group.

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Newly Identified Enzyme May Be the Culprit in Pierce’s Disease Grapevine Damage