“brainstorming” of new approaches. Discussions at the Symposium have resulted in PIs taking new directions in their research.

Research and development communication on Pierce’s disease research is also greatly facilitated through a contract from the CDFA with the University of California’s Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture (PIPRA). Two of the important services provided by PIPRA take the form of databases (http://www.piercesdisease.org). One of these is a nearly constantly updated repository of all references to research and other publications on Pierce’s disease. The other is a compendium of progress reports submitted by research grant-supported Pierce’s disease projects. The California Pierce’s Disease Control Board has taken the responsibility of public education about Pierce’s disease and has employed a public relations firm to prepare announcements and other documents for growers and the general public. An example is “Pierce’s Disease. A Decade of Progress,” which is available at http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/pdcp/.