Phylloxera

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Retrieved from wikipedia::http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phylloxera

Grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, family Phylloxeridae), commonly just called Phylloxera, is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. These tiny, pale yellow sap-sucking insects, related to aphids, feed on the roots of grapevines. In Vitis vinifera, the resulting deformations ("nodosities" and "tuberosities") and secondary fungal infections can girdle roots, gradually cutting off the flow of nutrients and water to the vine. Nymphs also form protective galls on the undersides of grapevine leaves and overwinter under the bark or on the vine roots; these leaf galls are not found on vines grown in California.

References

Boubals, Denis, "Sur les attaques de Phylloxera des racines dans le monde", Progres Agricole et Viticole, Montpellier, 110:416-421, 1993.
Campbell, Christy, "The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World", Algonquin Books, 2005.
Ordish, George, "The Great Wine Blight", Pan Macmillan, 1987.