Ch. 1: Vine Propagation

Question 1

In viticulture, how are new vines grown?

Answer 1

Vines grown through seeds not genetically identical to parent plant, propagation through seeds not used in viticulture

Question 2

Cutting

Answer 2

1. Section of a vine shoot, planted and grows into new plant
2. Most common propagation technique because many small cuttings can be taken and propagated at the same time; also permits use of rootstocks because can be grafted before planting; nurseries can treat cuttings to avoid spread of disease
3. New plants genetically identical to parent plant

Question 3

Layering

Answer 3

1. Filling gaps in the vineyard (like from death of a vine)
2. Cane from established neighboring vine bent and buried, tip points out of ground, buried section takes root, link to original plant cut
3. New plant grows on own roots–can’t use rootstock so not always suitable as no protection against phylloxera or other characteristics like desired yield
4. New plant genetically identical to parent plant

Question 4

Obtaining New Planting Material

Answer 4

1.Most commonly from nurseries=free from disease but there are only a limited number of clones available
2. Limited number of clones means vines planted across a vineyard or region are relatively uniform especially if natural factors remain consistent
-Makes management of vineyard easy (vines grow in similar way, grapes ripen at the same time)
-But less diversity of fruit, vineyard more susceptible to disease or pests

Question 5

Clones

Answer 5

1. During propagation random mutations can occur=diversity within the same variety
2. Vines with favorable characteristics from mutations can be selected for propagation by cuttings=clonal selection (last 40-50 years)
3. Pinot Noir Clone 115: low yields of smaller grapes=suited to high quality red production
4. Pinot Noir Clone 521: higher yields of bigger grapes=suited to sparkling production because high concentration of tannin and color from skins not needed
5. Mutations sometimes significant enough to be classified as new variety: Pinot Noir, Meunier, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris all mutations of Pinot

Question 6

Mass Selection (Selection Massale)

Answer 6

Before clonal selection but regaining some popularity
Vineyard owners take cuttings from own vines and cultivate (can be sent to nursery for grafting)
-Cuttings taken from several different vines, best performing selected after several years of monitoring and recording

Question 7

Advantages of Mass Selection

Answer 7

Increases diversity in the vineyard and the region
Vineyard owner uses own unique planting material (different from nursery) →can enhance fruit quality and/or yield, can also be used as marketing asset

Question 8

Disadvantages of Mass Selection

Answer 8

Selection and monitoring of vines costly in labor and time
If parent vine infected, likely passed on to new vines=increased spread of disease

Question 9

New grape varieties

Answer 9

Typically from seed
-Pollen from stamens of flowers of one vine transferred to stigmas of flowers of another vine=cross fertilization
-Grapes develop and the seeds are planted and grown
-New vines have different characteristics than parents–like siblings in a family

Question 10

Registering new grape varieties

Answer 10

Performance of new varieties assessed over long period, if there is possible commercial value can be registered on the OIV catalog as new variety

Question 11

Cross

Answer 11

two parents from the same species (Pinotage=Pinot Noir x Cinsault)

Question 12

Hybrid

Answer 12

two parent vines from different species (Vidal Blanc=Ugni Blanc x Member of the Seibel family (an American vine))

Question 13

Varieties with a long history of cultivation…

Answer 13

likely a result of cross-fertilization by chance in the wild

Cabernet Sauvignon=Sauvignon Blanc x Cabernet Franc

Question 14

Cross fertilization in the lab

Answer 14

for the purpose of creating offspring with favorable characteristics of the parents, often not successful; many hybrid bred for fruit quality of Vitis vinifera and resistance (disease, pests, climatic extremes) of non vinifera species

Muller-Thurgau (Riesling x Madeleine Royal): has high yield of Madeleine but not fruit quality of riesling

Most do not have high quality of Vinis vinifera, but resistance qualities (ex. Pierce’s Disease in California) make them useful as rootstocks

Question 15

Increased knowledge of genetics…

Answer 15

easier to use genetic markers to select offspring with favorable characteristics (without having to wait for the vine to bear fruit)=speeds up breeding programs

Question 16

Why do new varieties rarely come to market?

Answer 16

Consumer resistance