Scientists wonder about massive grape loss

Researchers are trying to work out what’s causing bunches of grapes to rot in cool climate wine regions of south-west New South Wales. This year, a pathogen called Pss, or Pseudomonas syringae damaged up to 80 per cent of the crop in the Tumbarumba area. Melanie Weckert, a research plant pathologist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, says the bacterial disease is an expensive problem for growers, reports ABC Rural.