Obviously, I\u2019m a fan of all grape research. I enjoy attending academic conferences and listening to scientific talks, reading abstracts and sifting through industry media for the science that breaks through to the news. But what really makes my day is learning about research that takes the unexpected turn, when scientists come at a problem from a completely different, even opposite angle. And better yet, when it works!<\/p>\n
Probably one of the first examples (for me) of this kind of research crossed my radar in 2019. Previous studies had shown that a specific blend of three volatile terpenes in the odor profile of grapevines attracted the destructive European Grapevine Moth, and that varying their ratio even a little bit could render vines practically invisible to the pest, from a scent perspective. So, a team led by Italian scientists set out to genetically modify<\/a> vines to change the aroma they emit<\/a>.<\/strong> The results? The aromatically altered plants were indeed less attractive to the moths! \u201cWith this evidence,\u201d they concluded, \u201cwe suggest that a strategy based on volatile ratio modification may interfere with the host-finding behavior of L. botrana in the field, creating avenues for new pest control methods.\u201d<\/p>\n Around the same time, another group from Cornell University pursued genetic methods to give a punch to the gut (literally!) of the dreaded grape mealybug, a vector of grapevine leafroll virus. Zeroing in on the pest\u2019s preferred diet, grapevine sap, they used RNA Interference (RNAi) to genetically alter the digestive system of the mealybug<\/a><\/strong> to block the production of the enzymes needed to break down the sugary sap. The experimental treatment \u201csignificantly increased insect mortality over three days\u201d and provided a new way to combat mealybugs\u2014from the inside out.<\/p>\n