The mid to late 1800s was a very difficult time for the European wine grape industry. New pests associated with native North American grape species made their way to the “Old World” because of transport between the continents. I recently wrote about how a fungal disease called downy mildew nearly destroyed the industry until it was saved by the accidental discovery of an effective chemical fungicide.
In today’s post I’m going to talk about an insect pest that was introduced to Europe in the same era. It was a a root feeding relative of aphid called Phylloxera. Native American grapes are quite tolerant to it, but when it started attacking the roots of the European, Vitis vinifera grapes it began debilitating and finally killing the vines.
Read the full, original story here: “When a genetic solution saved the French wine industry”
