Robyn Dixon, the new Program Manager of Biosecurity, Pest and Disease at Wine Australia, is passionate about helping growers.
“I’ve been working in the wine industry for 25 years, and I’ve always loved working with growers,” Robyn said.
“I feel very passionate about supporting our Australian growers to be more successful with their grape production, and to do it more sustainably.”
At Wine Australia, Robyn manages a portfolio of biosecurity, pest and disease projects. Her role is focused on listening to industry needs and collaborating with researchers and organisations to ensure good outcomes for industry.
“There are about 10 current projects and three new projects which are going through the contracting stage. These projects are focused on crown gall, virus diagnostics and phylloxera, which is the third phase of the Agriculture Victoria phylloxera research project,” Robyn said.
“I also represent Wine Australia in the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative (PBRI), a collaborative group that works to get more bang for buck with research across plant industries. For example, the Xylella vector monitoring project that Wine Australia managed was a collaborative effort through the PBRI.
“At the moment, we are working on several projects that address challenges relevant not only to the wine industry but also to grain, cotton, sugar growers, and other horticulture sectors. I enjoy building relationships with the other organisations in the PBRI, learning about their priorities, and exploring opportunities to collaborate and maximise funding.’
Prior to joining Wine Australia, Robyn was a Senior Viticulturist at the AWRI. She worked in the industry support and development team, and part of her role was assisting on the AWRI Help Desk.
“I was working on the Help Desk when growers on the east coast of Australia started detecting gall-like symptoms. I was on the phone all day working with growers and the propagation sector to understand the issue,” Robyn said.
“Growers were submitting samples for testing but weren’t receiving the actionable information they needed. Even after two years, the issue remains unclear. It’s great to see that Wine Australia is now funding a crown gall research project to help address this gap.”
Before joining the AWRI, Robyn worked as a Technical Viticulturist at Treasury Wine Estates, where she collaborated with the vineyard management team to develop comprehensive vineyard standards for vineyard developments and redevelopments, pest and disease management, and biosecurity. She also contributed to the company’s virus management strategy and played a role in initiating discussions on non-chemical weed control. “Non-chemical weed control is a complex challenge that is vital to the long-term sustainability of the wine industry,” Robyn said.
“Collaborating with vineyard managers to tackle pest and disease challenges was a valuable experience. It allowed the team to share insights from effective pest and disease management strategies and workshop solutions in areas that needed improvement. In some regions, significant issues with viruses and mealybugs arose, so we brought in Dr Vaughn Bell, a New Zealand-based researcher with extensive experience in leafroll virus, to help implement a virus management program.”
It was this program that provided the impetus for a sector-wide virus management guide, developed by Wine Australia in 2022: Best practice management of grapevine viruses in Australia | Wine Australia.
“It feels like a full-circle moment to now be at Wine Australia, collaborating with Dr Fiona Constable from Agriculture Victoria (also a Vinehealth Australia Board Member) on virus diagnostics, working to address some of the industry’s key knowledge gaps with grapevine viruses,” Robyn said.
Robyn’s significant practical experience is backed by a Bachelor of Science from Adelaide University and a Masters in Viticulture from Lincoln University in New Zealand.
“I was fortunate to complete my Master’s at the Marlborough Research Centre in 2004-05, during a period when the New Zealand government and wine industry were investing $17 million into a flagship Sauvignon Blanc project,” Robyn said.
“It was a case of being in the right place at the right time, and I had the fantastic opportunity to work with a passionate team of researchers in New Zealand, exploring how soil characteristics influence the development of aroma compounds in Sauvignon Blanc grapes and wine.”
This year as part of her role at Wine Australia, Robyn will complete incident response training and will review the crown gall response to see what worked, and what didn’t. “We want to learn from this outbreak so that we can respond better in the future,” Robyn said.
“Pest and disease outbreaks are devastating for growers – their vines are their livelihood, so we need to do all we can to support growers to keep their vines productive and healthy.”
