I. INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT FOR CDFA AGREEMENT NUMBER 15-0138-SA II. TITLE OF PROJECT. Development of a biological control for Pierce’s disease III. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, CO-INVESTIGATORS, AND COOPERATORS. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR:

X. fastidiosa (Xf) is a Gram-negative, xylem-limited bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease (PD) of grapevines (Chatterjee et al. 2008). Xf is transmitted to plants by insect vectors and once in the xylem, Xf is postulated to migrate, aggregate, and form biofilm that clogs the vessels leading to PD. We, and others, have studied Xf proteins and genetic mechanisms involved in these steps (Guilhabert and Kirkpatrick 2005, Meng et al. 2005, Feil et al. 2007, Li et al. 2007, Shi et al. 2007, da Silva Neto et al. 2008, Cursino et al. 2009, Cursino et al. 2011, Cursino et al. 2015) with the goal of better understanding PD virulence and for development of prevention strategies.