Wine Australia backs ANU study on vineyard pests

Wine Australia has awarded a doctoral scholarship to an Australian National University researcher who will use machine learning and genetic tools to identify two vineyard pests that can damage grapevines and contaminate fruit, in a project aimed at improving biosecurity and biological control in the country’s wine sector.

The recipient, Yilin Bai, received the Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award 2026, Wine Australia said on Tuesday. Her research will focus on scale insects and mealybugs, small sap-feeding pests that can weaken vines, slow growth and leave honeydew on leaves and grape bunches. That residue can encourage sooty mold, which reduces photosynthesis and can lead to grapes being downgraded or rejected at harvest.

Wine Australia said the project will also use genomic methods to track how the pests spread through vineyards. The organization said that many aspects of the insects’ biology, ecology and movement remain poorly understood, making them difficult to manage with current tools.

“Knowing exactly which pests are present will help improve understanding of how they behave in vineyards and support the development of more precise and effective biological control strategies,” Dr. Paul Smith, Wine Australia’s general manager for research and innovation, said in a statement.

Scale insects and mealybugs are also known to carry grapevine viruses, adding another layer of risk for growers. Wine Australia said the research is intended to give the industry better science-based strategies for managing those threats.

Bai will work with researchers at ANU and the Australian Wine Research Institute through the ARC Training Centre in Plant Biosecurity. In a statement, she said she hoped the project would provide practical tools for Australian growers.

“I am extremely grateful to Wine Australia for receiving the Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award alongside my PhD top up scholarship,” Bai said. “With the guidance of my collaborators, I hope to provide the Australian wine industry with science-based strategies to manage these challenging pests more effectively.”

Wine Australia said seven PhD candidates received top-up scholarships in 2026, with projects spanning vineyard management, biosecurity, smart sensing technologies and new wine products. The organization also awarded a separate project-based PhD scholarship to Jiaoying Qiao for research into artificial intelligence in advisory services, in collaboration with the One Basin Cooperative Research Centre.

The Dr Tony Jordan OAM Award was created in 2019 to recognize the strongest applicant in Wine Australia’s annual PhD scholarship program. The award provides up to $40,000 a year in stipend support. Wine Australia said it was named for Tony Jordan, a winemaker, researcher and mentor who helped establish wine science teaching at Charles Sturt University in the 1970s and played a major role in shaping modern Australian wine practices.