Herrick Grapevines becomes the first grapevine nursery to utilize dogs for Leafroll 3 and mealybug detection.
The dogs involved were originally part of a pilot project lead by Stephanie Bolton, grower research and education director and sustainable winegrowing director at Lodi Winegrape Commission and funded by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Lisa Finke’s Canine Detection Services in Fresno trained the dogs and brought them to Herrick Grapevines to work.
The detection dogs, Malbec, Sauvi B, Cab, and Zinny spent the week walking through the nursery and motherblock. The dogs did not detect any vines with Leafroll 3 Viruses or mealybugs at the nursery or motherblock.
Virus Prevention
The vines at Herrick Grapevines are Protocol 2010 certified. Disease exclusion is a critical part of ensuring the highest quality vines are reaching vineyards across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Herrick Grapevines has rigorous virus testing protocols and is intentionally located far from production vineyards to minimize the potential for pest infestations.
Backed by Research
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In the original trials, the detector canines detected Leafroll 3 Viruses on average 93.4% of the time, according to the pilot project. The dogs also ruled out the presence of the virus 99.6% of the time. They detected the presence of vine mealybugs 97.3% of the time and ruled out an infection 99.6% of the time.
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"We go to great lengths to produce the best quality grapevines, and bringing the dogs up to the nursery is a great way for us to collaborate with the industry and support new research." - Diego Barison, Owner and General Manager of Herrick Grapevines.
