"Black Goo" Fungus Reduces Supply of Wine.NAPA VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 27, 1998--Black Goo -- sometimes called slow dieback die·back n. The gradual dying of plant shoots, starting at the tips, as a result of various diseases or climatic conditions. Noun 1. disease -- is showing up in alarmingly high rates in vineyards throughout the world. And it's costing vintners plenty to replant their dying vines, many of which were only recently replanted due to phylloxera phylloxera (fĭlŏk`sĭrə), small, sap-eating, greenish insect of the genus Phylloxera, closely related to the aphid. Phylloxeras feed on leaves and roots, and many species produce galls on deciduous trees. . A different pestilence pestilence /pes·ti·lence/ (pes´ti-lins) a virulent contagious epidemic or infectious epidemic disease.pestilen´tial pes·ti·lence n. 1. than either phylloxera or Pierce's Disease, Black Goo is a tarry tarry /tar·ry/ (tahr´e) 1. filled with or covered by tar. 2. thick, dark; resembling tar. tarry said of feces that are black and glutinous. See also melena. substance in xylem xylem (zī`ləm): see stem; wood. xylem Part of a plant's vascular system that conveys water and dissolved minerals from the roots to the rest of the plant and furnishes mechanical support. vessels caused by at least one fungus found in rootstocks. The fungus clogs vessels, interferes with water uptake, and produces a toxin that interferes with tissue development. Jim Barbour, proprietor of Barbour Vineyards in Napa Valley, said viticulturists began studying the problem three years ago when they noticed some replanted vineyards were not thriving. Although no figures are available, Barbour estimated a "high percentage" of vines is infected. Mike Porter, a Sonoma and Napa county vineyard consultant, said the situation is very serious. "Some vineyards are such a disaster that they'll be pulled soon," Porter said. Currently it costs $20,000 to $40,000 to replant one acre of vineyard. "Bulldozing a six-year-old vineyard is how you go bankrupt," said Porter. Full text in the Oct. 26, 1998 issue of The Business Journal, serving Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties, www.busjrnl.com. |
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