With the recent find of a new phytoplasma disease north of the Washington State-Canada border, grape growers should be extra vigilant of what’s happening in their vineyards, said Dr. Ken Eastwell, Washington State University pathologist. Bois noir, known generally as grapevine yellows, and the related disease Flavescence dorée, have caused major problems in Europe, Eastwell said. He participated in an investigation of grapevine yellows last summer in British Columbia, at the invitation of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. An unknown “It’s a big concern here because it’s a new pathogen in a new environment,” he said. “We don’t have the […]