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The National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI) concluded its June 20-21 Board of Directors' meeting which included discussion and action on Grapevine red blotch disease.

Work continues on various fronts to understand the distribution, physiological impacts and, of course, prevention and treatment of red blotch virus. Earlier this year, Dr. Nick Dokoozlian, NGWI research chair, requested funding from the Agricultural Research Center (ARS) to support additional research staffing for Dr. Mysore Sudarshana, an ARS scientist stationed at UC Davis. Dr. Sudarshana's work led to the discovery and initial characterization of the disease. In May, NGWI was notified that ARS was able to send Dr. Sudarshana $178,881 to support research for mitigation of red blotch.

In the funding request to ARS, Dooklozian reported the disease being present in several other major winegrape growing regions, including New York, Virginia, and Oregon.

During its June meeting, the NGWI Board took action on a request from the USDA's APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine to participate in a red blotch technical working group (TWG). According to the request, the TWG would "collect and collate important questions about the disease from industry, provide responses to those questions based on current scientific knowledge, and identify knowledge gaps and research needs."

The NGWI-selected participants for the TWG include Franka Gabler of the California Table Grape Commission, Dan Martinez of Martinez Orchards, and Jean-Mari Peltier, NGWI president. These participants will develop questions for an APHIS panel of scientists to review and answer relative to red blotch. They will also develop a list of scientists (plant pathologists, entomologists, etc) to serve on the APHIS panel.

Dr. Deborah Golino, director of Foundation Plant Services at UC Davis and NGWI Board member, also provided the NGWI Board with an update on red blotch. Golino said further research within the next year should show how many California vineyards have been impacted by the disease.

Red blotch appears to be transmitted through grafting and is likely that spread primarily occurs through propagation material. Golino added that those who have identified red blotch in their vineyard are planting away from the infected vines. There has been an increased incidence of red blotch over time in young, healthy vineyards that are adjacent to old, infected vines which may suggest the existence of a vector.

Golino said the industry has rallied around the disease and has provided enough research funding for the next year. Speaking of funding, last month the Idaho State Department of Agriculture awarded $94,000 to fund a project to see if the red blotch virus is present in Idaho vineyards.

Article reproduced with permission of the author Ron Lopp and the California Association of Winegrape Growers. 

In a new observational study published in the Journal of Food Science, researchers looked at the association of grape consumption, in the non-alcoholic forms most commonly consumed - fresh grapes, raisins and 100% grape juice - with the diet quality of a recent, nationally representative sample of U.S. children and adults. Their findings suggest that, among adults and children, consumption of grapes and grape products is associated with healthier dietary patterns and improved nutrient intakes.

Researchers analyzed the diets of more than 21,800 children and adults using data from the 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and found that consumers of grapes and grape products had increased intakes of total and whole fruit, as well as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, and potassium versus non-consumers. Dietary fiber, calcium and potassium are especially important, as most Americans are currently not getting enough of these essential nutrients in their daily diets.

Adult grape and grape product consumers also had increased intakes of vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds along with lower intakes of added sugars, total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, versus non-consumers.

"It is interesting to note that not only did grape consumers have increased intakes of healthy foods, and critical vitamins and minerals," said lead author Carla McGill, PhD, "but grape consumers also ate less of unhealthy foods, specifically solid fat and added sugars."  

This new study complements an extensive body of research supporting the role grapes, raisins and 100% grape juice can play in a healthy lifestyle.

"It reinforces the association between grapes and a healthier diet, which is good news for consumers," said Jean-Mari Peltier, Executive Director of the National Grape and Wine Initiative (NGWI). "Grapes, raisins and 100% grape juice are all foods that people enjoy eating, and this information adds another dimension to the grape and health story."