Assessing the returns to R&D on perennial crops: the costs and benefits of Pierce's disease research in the California winegrape industry

• Published in: The Australian journal of agricultural and resource economics Vol. 59; no. 1; pp. 95 - 115
• Main Authors: Alston, Julian M., Fuller, Kate B., Kaplan, Jonathan D., Tumber, Kabir P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Agricultural economics; California wine and winegrapes; Crop diseases; Crops; Economic models; Economic theory; exotic pest; Fruits; perennial crop model; Pierce's disease research; Plant diseases; R&D; Research & development; simulation model; Studies; United States > US; California

Several complicating issues arise in evaluating the returns to research into varietal improvements for perennial crops compared with annual crops. We elucidate and address these issues in the context of a case study of research aiming to develop varieties that are resistant to Pierce's disease...