65809 - General Viticulture Ans Grapevine Nursery

Learning outcomes

The course will providing the basic knowledge on the main topics of wine grape and on grapevine structures and functions, on the developmental processes and the annual cycle and their interaction with soil, climatic and management factors. Moreover the students will acquire the knowledge on vine propagation, clonal selection and on the legislation concerning grapevine certification and they will be able to choose among national and international grapevine varieties and roostocks.

Course contents

Grapevine taxonomy, history of grape growing and its spread and distribution throughout the world.

Grape morphology (roots, trunk, canes, bud complex, shoots, inflorescences and clusters).

Characterization of grape species, cultivars and clones. Morphological, ampelometric, biochemical and molecular methods.  Hints of statistics applied to cultivar and clonal characterization.

Peculiar aspects of breeding in grape: methods, objectives and results. Hybridization processes: rootstocks and hybrids. clonal selection.

Grape propagation. Cuttings and different types of graft union. In-vitro culture of grape.

Buds cycle: vegetative and reproductive cycles. Flower induction, flowering and berry set.

Exogenous and endogenous factors affecting leaves photosynthetic activity. Carbohydrates translocation, mineral uptake and water relations in grape. Source-sink balance.

Grape berry development and ripening process, evolution of grape berry composition relevant to winemaking (sugars, acids, polyphenols, aromas).

Site selection and bioclimatic index. Precision viticulture.

Readings/Bibliography

Palliotti A., Poni S., Silvestroni O. Manuale di Viticoltura Edagricole.2018

AA.VV. Manuale di Viticoltura. A cura di Matteo Marenghi. Il Sole 24 Ore Edagricole, 2005. Chapters selected by the teachers.

Winkler et al., General Viticulture. University of California Press, 1974. Chapter selected by the teacher

Scientific papers distribuited by the teacher

Teaching methods

The lessons are supported by pc slides and by discussion on the different topics.

Assessment methods

The final exam is oral and aims to verify the acquisition of the knowledge of the topics analysed during the course.
The exam it is expected to last at the minimum 30 minutes and it will be passed after the correct answer to three main questions regarding the main topic reported in the program.

Teaching tools

The lessons are supported by training time in vineyards,  in class and in the lab.

Office hours

See the website of Ilaria Filippetti