Research helps Texas Wineries Fight Pierce's Disease

When the glassy-winged sharpshooter Homalodisca vitripennis sets its sights on a grapevine, watch out. It’s carrying the Xylella bacteria and spreading Pierce’s disease throughout Texas vineyards.

Lisa Morano, UHD associate professor of Natural Sciences, and her team of undergraduate students have been working to decode how the large leafhopper spreads this disease. They are tracking its genetic fingerprint as it makes its way from the Gulf of Mexico into central Texas.

“We’re bringing science to life and giving undergraduate students the opportunity to do something they wouldn’t normally be able to do until graduate school,” Morano said. “What we learn will help Texas wineries, but we hope that it can also be applied to the California wine industry—a $60 billion business.”

Morano works in tandem with the Texas Pierce’s Disease Research and Education Program. She gives select students, many from the UHD’s Scholars Academy, a small piece of the puzzle. They perform DNA extractions and help create genetic fingerprints in the laboratory.

Morano sets the bar high for her students and helps them integrate projects and assignments that promote critical thinking skills. She works hard to keep students engaged and to make the material approachable.

“I tell my students that people learn better from people than from just books or computers. You come to class, talk with me, come to my office and you will learn a great deal,” she said. Morano won the 2007 UHD Faculty Award for Scholarship and Creative Activity.