Question:
Great French Wine Blight was caused by
Great French Wine Blight was caused by
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The French Wine Blight was caused by an insect (Phylloxera vastatrix), not a fungus.
The solution was grafting European scions onto resistant American grape rootstocks.
The solution was grafting European scions onto resistant American grape rootstocks.
Updated On: Aug 3, 2026
- Plasmopara viticola
- Phylloxera vastatrix
- Uncinula necator
- Botrytis cinerea
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The Correct Option is B
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The Great French Wine Blight was a catastrophic agricultural disaster during the mid-19th century that destroyed over 70% of the vineyards in France and devastated the European wine industry.
Determining the exact biological agent of this blight is a key milestone in agricultural history and pest management.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The blight was caused by an aphid-like insect pest called Phylloxera vastatrix (now classified as Daktulosphaira vitifoliae).
This insect is native to North America, where native wild grapevines (Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia) had co-evolved with the pest and possessed high levels of natural resistance.
When American grapevines were imported into France for botanical studies and breeding, the Phylloxera pest was inadvertently introduced to Europe.
European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) had no natural defense against this pest.
The insects feed on the roots of the grapevines, injecting toxic saliva that causes galls and leaves the root tissue vulnerable to secondary fungal and bacterial infections.
This leads to root rot, causing the vines to wither and die within a few seasons.
The crisis was eventually resolved by grafting the susceptible, high-quality European Vitis vinifera scions onto the pest-resistant American rootstocks, a technique still widely used today.
The other options list fungal pathogens of grapevines: Plasmopara viticola (Option A) causes downy mildew, Uncinula necator (Option C) causes powdery mildew, and Botrytis cinerea (Option D) causes grey mold.
While these pathogens also cause significant vine damage, they were not the primary cause of the Great French Wine Blight.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Hence, the correct option is (B).
The Great French Wine Blight was a catastrophic agricultural disaster during the mid-19th century that destroyed over 70% of the vineyards in France and devastated the European wine industry.
Determining the exact biological agent of this blight is a key milestone in agricultural history and pest management.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The blight was caused by an aphid-like insect pest called Phylloxera vastatrix (now classified as Daktulosphaira vitifoliae).
This insect is native to North America, where native wild grapevines (Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia) had co-evolved with the pest and possessed high levels of natural resistance.
When American grapevines were imported into France for botanical studies and breeding, the Phylloxera pest was inadvertently introduced to Europe.
European grapevines (Vitis vinifera) had no natural defense against this pest.
The insects feed on the roots of the grapevines, injecting toxic saliva that causes galls and leaves the root tissue vulnerable to secondary fungal and bacterial infections.
This leads to root rot, causing the vines to wither and die within a few seasons.
The crisis was eventually resolved by grafting the susceptible, high-quality European Vitis vinifera scions onto the pest-resistant American rootstocks, a technique still widely used today.
The other options list fungal pathogens of grapevines: Plasmopara viticola (Option A) causes downy mildew, Uncinula necator (Option C) causes powdery mildew, and Botrytis cinerea (Option D) causes grey mold.
While these pathogens also cause significant vine damage, they were not the primary cause of the Great French Wine Blight.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Hence, the correct option is (B).
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