Astrid Forneck is a legend in the field of phylloxera. As the Head of the Institute of Viticulture and Pomology at BOKU, based at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna, Astrid and her team deliver world-leading phylloxera research.
Fortunately for Australia, Astrid is currently on secondment at the University of Adelaide, sharing her phylloxera knowledge.
Astrid is originally from Germany and grew up in a family winery, barrel-making and restaurant business. “We had less than two hectares of Riesling vines in the Rhine Valley on very steep slopes, and this was my introduction to viticulture,” Astrid said.
While Astrid had ambitions to become a winemaker, when her family changed their focus from their winery to their restaurant, Astrid became a bank clerk.
“I have no idea why I went into that, but it was very clear very quickly that I wanted to be in agronomy and wine. I loved biology and research, and I was encouraged to go to university,” Astrid said.
“I studied my Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Hohenheim, which at that time was quite famous for agricultural sciences. Then I did a Master’s in Agronomy and Viticulture and ended up at the University of California. It was there that I met phylloxera.
“This was at the end of the 1990s and California was experiencing failings in phylloxera resistance in rootstocks – the AXR1 problem.”
Although phylloxera initially did not feed heavily on AXR1 roots, mutations within the phylloxera population saw the eventual failure of most vineyards planted on AXR1.
“I was very lucky to be able to work with researchers Jeffrey Granett and Andy Walker who were the phylloxera gurus at the time. I became fascinated by that insect, and it still fascinates me today. I’ve done other work over my career, but phylloxera never really left me,” Astrid said.
An early research highlight for Astrid was cultivating the phylloxera in the lab under strict quarantine conditions, to observe the pest throughout its lifecycle and study what it did with vines at each stage.
“Through these studies, we were able to understand much more about the phylloxera biology and lifecycle, its different variations, gall formation and much more,” Astrid said.
“We were able to see that something was going on with genetics and there were different mutations and populations.”
This work coincided with the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology – a laboratory technique for rapidly producing copies of a specific segment of DNA, which can then be studied in greater detail.
“We were able to use PCR and other markers to discover there were different phylloxera genotypes. This allowed us to study the different genotypes to understand why some are more aggressive,” Astrid said.
There are now several hundred genetic strains of phylloxera documented worldwide, with 166 strains currently identified in Australia.
Astrid’s team is currently working on dual sequencing to study phylloxera feeding at different stages and the vine’s reaction, simultaneously.
“We’re also looking at which rootstocks to choose to best combat the feeding of different strains,” Astrid said.
“I’m always interested to find out what is going on for the plant or working against the plant, for the health and longevity of vineyards. Much of my research is focused on practical use. I think this is really important.
“Another of our projects is looking at how water impacts insect feeding. We are looking at how much water a plant needs to produce the best crop, and how phylloxera populations on the roots are impacted by different drought levels.”
Astrid is also studying leaf phylloxera which is becoming more common in Europe. “This is maybe because of climate change, we’re not sure, but we’re seeing a lot of leaf phylloxera in vineyards,” she said.
“It’s the same species, but a strain has adapted in Europe that survives better on the leaves than on the roots but can overwinter on the roots. Then they hatch and come up to infest the leaves. Once the leaves are infested, it’s nasty, forming galls that protect the insects. And we don’t have pesticides that we can use in a modern European viticulture program.”
While on secondment at the University of Adelaide, at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Astrid is working with professors Cassandra Collins and Stephen Tyerman. She is also visiting Agriculture Victoria to learn about their phylloxera research, which is co-funded by Wine Australia, and to see phylloxera in vineyards in the King Valley.
“And of course, I’m also going to meet with Kevin Powell, your Australian phylloxera guru. Kevin is still very interested in phylloxera research and whenever we talk, we always talk about phylloxera. We’re thinking of getting our knowledge together and publishing it in a phylloxera book,” Astrid said.
“Kevin and I know most of the phylloxera researchers all over the world, some of them retired and some still working, and we want to encourage them to add to the book. Kevin and I can link it all together, to be the source of all current phylloxera scientific knowledge. The last time a phylloxera book was published was in the 1950s so it’s overdue.”
Astrid has visited many countries over her career and enjoys learning about a different cultivar at every location she visits.
“I come from Riesling country, and then I stepped over to learn about the Californian Zinfandel, then to the Austrian Veltliner. Here I started learning about Syrah or Shiraz, and I’m planning to visit lots of wineries drinking lots of different Syrahs!”
For a list of Astrid’s projects, click here: https://forschung.boku.ac.at/en/researcher/39784A5DB133DBC9
For a list of Astrid’s publications, click here: https://forschung.boku.ac.at/en/researcher/39784A5DB133DBC9 and here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Astrid-Forneck
