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Title: Identifying economic hurdles of early adoption of preventative practices: The case of trunk diseases in California winegrape vineyards

Author
item KAPLAN, JONATHAN - California State University
item TRAVADON, RENAUD - University Of California
item COOPER, MONICA - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service
item HILLIS, VICKEN - University Of California
item LUBELL, MARK - University Of California
item Baumgartner, Kendra

Submitted to: American Agricultural Economics Association Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2016
Publication Date: 5/12/2016
Citation: Baumgartner, K., Travadon, R., Cooper, M., Hillis, V., Lubell, M., Kaplan, J. 2016. Identifying economic hurdles of early adoption of preventative practices: The case of trunk diseases in California winegrape vineyards. Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Meeting Abstracts. 8874. http://purl.umn.edu/235562.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Trunk diseases including Botryosphaeria dieback, Esca, Eutypa dieback, and Phomopsis dieback, present a serious challenge to grape growers around the world. In California, where approximately 90% of US winegrape production occurs, most vineyards over age 10 are likely infected and yield losses in such vineyards may reach as high as 90%. Despite high prevalence and substantial consequences of wood-canker pathogens in grape vineyards, many growers routinely wait to adopt preventative practices (i.e., delayed pruning, double pruning, or application of thiophanate methyl (TopsinM) on pruning wounds) until the vineyard has matured and presents visible symptomatic vines (i.e., between 8 and 10 years old). To compare the economic benefits of the different practices, we use a bioeconomic model parameterized with efficacy of these preventative practices, and budgets for representative vineyards throughout California’s diverse winegrape growing regions taken from University of California Cost and Return Studies. We find in all but one scenario for one district, a grower is better off adopting a preventative practice when the vineyard is infected then not. In addition, the data show a grower with an infected vineyard who adopts a preventative practice when the vineyard is 3 years old will see the greatest net returns over an infected vineyard’s lifespan. We also see from our results that the profitable lifespan of an infected vineyard can, in some cases, increase by more than 50%.