Christy Campbell
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, NC,
2005, 320pp.
Price: $24.95, hardcover
ISBN: 1-56512-460-X

From the title, one might not suppose that this is a story centered on an insect, but the original 2004 British title Phylloxera would be instantly recognized by entomologists. The book is a fascinating popular history of the invasion of the grape phylloxera [Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Fitch), Hemiptera: Phylloxeridae] to France, the catastrophic consequences for the vines, and the chaotic but ultimately successful recovery of the French wine industry in the late 19^th century. The author, a British journalist and defense correspondent, has clearly immersed himself in the research. On the whole, the result of his research is a finely crafted book that is well worth reading.

Most Americans, perhaps even most American entomologists, are more familiar with the Irish potato famine than with the calamitous impacts of the phylloxera that was introduced into Europe in 1865, some 20 years before the potato famine. Not only was the vine (France’s cultural icon) devastated, but a huge portion of the European population and economy was upended. Many peasants lost their land, and Campbell quotes estimated losses in France alone that equate to about $8 to 25 billion today. The successful “reconstitution” of French vineyards later resulted in another economic crisis of oversupply, accompanied by further social displacement and tumult.

The cryptic and complex life cycle of the grape phylloxera, and the fact that its origin was then unknown, vastly complicated the response to its introduction. By the time the vines were dead, the tiny root-inhabiting life stages were usually gone, having moved to still-living vines nearby. Unbeknownst at the time, it was these root-feeders that were damaging the susceptible European Vitis vinifera vines, in contrast to the importance of aerial galling populations on American grape species. We now know that the alates arising from the root populations, their nonfeeding sexual offspring, and the winter eggs that hatch into stem or root-dwelling stem mothers, are merely a curiosity and not important to grape production in Europe. Granett et al. (2001) provide a nice review of the complex biology of this pest.

There was no shortage of other heroes, villains, mystery, and political intrigue during this crisis. A stupendous reward of Fr. 300,000 was offered for a cure of the phylloxera. Even though the problem was cured, no one was ever awarded the prize. The central character of the book, Montpellier botanist Jules-Émile Planchon, had the best claim. He steadfastly and scientifically pursued the problem. On an investigative foray in the United States with C. V. Riley, he established that the American and European insects were identical. Planchon came to champion resistant rootstock, the eventual solution, but he died suddenly before his claim could be lodged. Our own ESA has some significant artifacts from this convoluted case, including a bronze statue awarded to C. V. Riley in 1892 by French winemakers, and also Riley’s French Legion of Honor medal for service to the grape industry.

The book illuminates the interplay between science and ignorance, superstition, and chicanery. The chief consequence of the staggering government prize was to heighten the mania surrounding phylloxera, and to encourage ever more bizarre proposed remedies to the insect, which included snail slime and human urine. French nationalism also complicated the situation. The central debate in France during this time was between chemical control and host plant resistance, the solutions advocated by the French elite and the so-called Americanists, respectively. Neither approach was cheap, yet planting American-based resistant rootstocks that were grafted with vinifera scions was the sustainable response. The verdict of the people was clear; “peasants were voting with their grafting knives.”

Although the book is a compelling read, some aspects could have been improved. First, the author’s lack of scientific perspective causes him to overlook the important and long-lasting contribution involving soil fumigation, which not only protected particularly valuable vineyards until resistant rootstock could be established, but more importantly inaugurated large-scale agricultural experimentation focused on factors affecting the productivity of soils (Wilhelm 1966). Another problem with the book is that, although it provides a timeline and several maps showing the phylloxera invasion into France, I found myself not infrequently disoriented in time and especially in space. This is because many French regions, towns, and wine-growing areas mentioned in the text are not shown on the maps. Perhaps the British familiarity with France accounts for this oversight.

The phylloxera history illustrates several principles that are important even now. One is that it is difficult to study the subterranean, and our knowledge of underground fauna lags behind that of more accessible taxa. Second, quarantine is always fraught with human issues such as education and enforcement; and these problems are aggravated by problems of detection, particularly for cryptic pests. Also, chemical control alone will not eradicate all but the most restricted and obvious pest invasions. The most important lesson, though, is that science with important practical implications is ipso facto political, and those whom we now call “stakeholders” must be engaged and convinced of the wisdom and fairness of activities that affect them, preferably by the scientists themselves.

Biological problems are never as simple as they seem. In the big picture, grape phylloxera was an invasive pest exploiting susceptible hosts in Europe, and the solution was to import resistant American rootstock. To the author’s credit, he goes into considerable detail about the complexities of this approach, and more than this, he highlights the continuing challenges in California and other wine-growing regions to remind us that no pest problem is ever finally solved, as long as the insect continues to evolve.

 References Cited

Granett, J., M.A. Walker, L. Kocsis, and A.D. Omer. 2001. Biology and management of grape phylloxera. Ann. Rev. Entomol. 46: 387–412.

Wilhelm, S. 1966. Chemical treatment and inoculum of soil. Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 4: 53–78.

Donald C. Weber
USDA-ARS Insect Biocontrol Laboratory
Bldg. 011A, Rm. 107, BARC-West, Beltsville, MD 20705
301-504-8369
weberd@ba.ars.usda.gov
My thanks to Joel Grossman for the Wilhelm reference.
American Entomologist
Vol. 52, No.3, Fall 2006