Building the Perfect Grapevine

Building the Perfect Grapevine. Hybridization and grafting in European and American grapevines. , The most well-known grape used in winemaking. Vitis vinifera, is native to Europe and southwestern Asia. When European settlers arrived in North America, they tried to cultivate their grapes, but pests and pathogens doomed most early attempts. Fortunately, there are 19 species of Vitis that are native to North America. These species have played a critical role in adapting the European Vitis vinifera for cultivation in North America and elsewhere through two horticultural techniques, hybridization and grafting., Hybridization is the process of manually cross pollinating two different species. Beginning in the 1800s, North American wine grape growers experimenting with hybridization, crossing European grapevine species with American grapevines to produce plants that could withstand pests, pathogens and harsh weather conditions., Our vineyard has several vines resulting from hybridization of European and American vines, including Marquette, Vignoles, and Traminette (along the right side)., In the mid-1800s, North American grapes were introduced into Europe. Unfortunately, they brought a root-eating aphid called phylloxera with them. North American species could withstand phylloxera infestation since they co-evolved with them, but European species could not. The pest moved into European vineyards and destroyed up to 60% of vineyards in France. In order to fortify European grapevines against phylloxera, growers began grafting European vines onto North American roots., Grafting is the ancient horticultural practice that joins the roots of one plant with the shoots of another. Grapevines are one of 70 major crops that are grafted, and in addition to protecting the plant from belowground pests, studies suggest grafting influences many attributes of the shoot system., Our vineyard has several vines resulting from grafting onto American rootstock, including Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Marquette. One Chardonnay was left ungrafted for contrast., This vineyard is part of an experiment , A team of researchers from Saint Louis University, Michigan State University, Missouri State University, University of Missouri, South Dakota State University, and the USDA are using experiments in four states to investigate how grafting affects physiology, chemistry, and reproduction in the shoot system. To learn more, scan the QR code or visit vitisunderground.org. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation (1546869).