D1. C1. The Vine Flashcards
What are the main structures of the shoots
- Buds
- Leaves
- Tendrils
- Lateral shoots
- Inflorescences (grape bunches)
What are the “nodes”?
They are the swellings along the shoot, where other structures are attached
What is an internode?
The lengths between nodes
Define “lignification”?
It is the process green shoots become woody, rigid and brown
When the shoots lignify, they are called as:
Canes
Buds are located between which structures of the shoots?
Petiole and stem
Name the types of buds
- Compound (latent) buds
- Prompt buds
What are the differences between compound (latent) buds and prompt buds?
- Compound (latent) buds form in the previous season and produce shoots in the following season
- Prompt buds form and break up in the same season and they produce lateral shoots
What type of buds do the compound buds have? What are their differences?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary
- Primary bud is the main growing point, secondary and tertiary buds usually grow only if the primary bud is damaged
How are lateral shoots different than primary shoots?
- They are smaller and thinner than primary shoots
- They sometimes carry inflorescences
What is the main function of lateral shoots?
To allow the plant to carry on growing, if the primary shoot has been damaged
What are the advantages and disadvantages of lateral shoots?
- Advantages: They can provide additional source of leaves for photosynthesis
- Disadvantages: Growth of lateral shoots nearer the base of the primary shoot can impede the air flow and shade the fruit
What is “second crop”?
Inflorescences from lateral shoots
Name a grape variety that often forms inflorescences on lateral shoots
Pinot Noir
How are the bunches in the second crop different from the main crop, if harvested at the same time?
- High in acidity
- Lower in sugar
- May have unripe tannins and aromas and flovors
- Less color in black grapes
What is the advantage of removing second crop by green harvesting?
Improving the uniformity of ripeness of the remaining bunches
What is the function of tendrils?
The tendrils curl around trellis wires and keep the canopy in place
Are the tendrils enough to hold the vine to the trellis?
Grape growers typically do not trust the tendrils to hold the vine to the trellis on their own and therefore they tie in canes and shoots as necessary.
What are the functions of stomata?
They let water diffuse out and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis to enter
What is “transpiration”?
Drawing water and nutrients from the soil up through the vine to the leaves, as water diffuses from the leaf
What is the reaction of stomata, when the vine is water stressed?
They partially close
What is the number of inflorescences on each shoot?
It can depend on the grape variety but is usually between one and three
What are the disadvantages of the grape varieties which have tight bunches?
They are more prone to fungal diseases due to the increased likelihood of grape-skin splitting during growth and lack of air flow through the bunch
Name one grape variety which have tight bunches
Pinot Noir
What are the parts of grape berry?
- Skin
- Pulp
- Seeds
What does the pulp contain?
- Water
- Sugar
- Acids
- Aroma compound
- Aroma precursors
What is the color of the pulp?
The pulp of most grapes is colourless, exceptions include teinturier varieties
Name one teninturier variety
Alicante Bouschet
What does the grape skin contain?
- Aroma compounds and precursors
- Tannins
- Colour
What do the seed contain?
- Oils
- Tannin
- Embryo
What is “bloom”?
Powdery waxy coating of the grape
What is “one-year old wood”?
Shoots from the previous growing season that were not removed at pruning
What does one-year old wood contain?
The compound buds that will break to release the shoots for the upcoming growing season.
Depending on how the vine is pruned the one-year-old wood will either be:
Cane or spur
What is “permanent wood”?
Woody parts of the vine that are older than one year, including the trunk
What are the functions of trunk and cordons?
- Provide support for the other parts of the vine
- Transport water and solutes to and from different parts of the vine
- Store carbohydrates and nutrients
What are the functions of the roots?
- Provides anchorage
- Uptake of water and nutrients
- Store carbohydrates
- Produce hormones
What is the depth of the soil, where most of the vine’s roots are found?
50 cm
What are the factors which modify the main framework of roots?
- Soil properties
- Irrigation
- Cultivation
- Type of rootstock
What are the advantages of cutting technique over layering?
- Many small cuttings can be obtained from a single vine
- It permits the use of rootstocks
- Nurseries can treat vine cuttings to avoid spread of diseases.
Why are the vines not propagated through seeds?
Vines that grow through seeds seeds are not genetically identical to the parent vines
What is “clonal selection”?
Selection of vines with favourable characteristics for propagation by cuttings to grow new vines with these favourable characteristics
What is the difference between clone 115 and clone 521 of Pinot Noir?
- Clone 115 has low yields of small grapes, which is suited for high quality red wine production
- Clone 521 has higher yields of bigger grapes, which is suited for sparkling wine production, because tannins and color from the skins are not needed
What happens if the mutation of a vine is very significant?
It is classified as a new grape variety
Name 4 mutations of Pinot grape, which created new grape variety
- Pinot Noir
- Pinot Blanc
- Pinot Meunier
- Pinot Gris
Why a grape grower will often choose to buy and plant a number of different clones of the same grape variety, where available?
Although it is easier to manage the vineyard by using a single clone, it has some disadvantages:
- Less diversity of the fruit, hence potentially producing a wine with less complexity and balance
- Vineyard is more susceptible to disease or pests
What is “Selection Massale”?
Wine growers take cuttings from the vines form their own vineyards and cultivate these cuttings
How are the vines are selected to be propagated for mass selection?
- Cuttings are obtained from several different vines
- Generally, the best-performing vines are selected
- They are selected after several years of monitoring and recording their performance.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of mass selection?
Advantages.
- Increases the diversity of planting material in the vineyard and throughout the region
- It can enhance fruit quality and/or yield
Disadvantages
- Selection and monitoring of vines to ensure the propagation of the best vines is costly in terms of time and labour
- If the parent vine is infected, it i likely to be passsed onto new vines
What is the difference between a crossing and a hybrid?
- When the two parent vines are from the same species, the offspring is called a cross
- When the two parent vines are from different species, the offspring is called a hybrid.
Name the best known hybrid and its parents
Vidal Blanc, often simply called Vidal, from Ugni Blanc (V. vinifera) and a member of the Seibel family (American parentage).
What is the aim of producing new crossings and hybrids?
Create an offspring that has the favourable characteristics of the two parent vines
What is the main drawback of crossings and hybrids?
Unfortunately, most hybrids and crossings do not produce fruit that matches the quality of their parents
What is the main use of hybrids in viticulture?
They are useful as rootstocks which can provide resistance against diseases, pests and climatic extremes
