Brescia Viticultural Center Advances Clone Research for Local Vine Cultivation
Programs for clone research and selection are increasingly intriguing, carried out by experts and technicians of the Centro Vitivinicolo Provinciale di Brescia. Many experiments, some of which have been ongoing for years, whose results are then directly applied in the field, or more precisely, in the experimental vineyards of our province.
For some time now, a clone selection has been underway to provide viticulturists with selected vine material capable of ensuring both vegetative and productive uniformity of the vineyard itself.
This selection is carried out by identifying biotypes within existing vineyards that exhibit particularly interesting vegetative and productive characteristics, with the aim of improving the qualitative characteristics of the provincial ampelographic platform.
Experiences and results from 1981 to 1990
From 1981 to 1990, for example, a total of 426 clones from about 40 varieties were established and tested on lands managed by the Centro Vitivinicolo at the Istituto Pastori. These included controls and recordings related to phenological stages, number of clusters per vine, average cluster weight, bud fertility, production per vine, total sugars, titratable acidity, pH, tartaric acid, and malic acid.
Recently, 7 clones have been identified from these, evenly distributed between the two main production zones, Garda and Franciacorta: 2 Trebbiano, 1 Marzemino, 2 Chardonnay, and 2 Pinot Noir.
Production of nursery plants and future prospects
From these clones, it will be possible to produce nursery plants, which will be supplied by nurseries that request them from the Centro Vitivinicolo. These nurseries will then be committed to distributing them on the market, on behalf of the Center, first satisfying producers’ requests in Brescia and later those from outside our province’s zones.
In the near future, the ongoing experiments are expected to yield new clones that will revitalize the interest of viticulturists.
Starting as early as next year, nursery plants of the mentioned cultivars will be available for planting, thus initiating the creation of new vineyards with local material.
Presentation and potential of the center
The new clones will be presented shortly at a conference held at the new headquarters of Villa Barboglio.
The current potential of the Center includes approximately 100 mother plants, which produce grafting buds for each clone type. This allows, once in full production, an annual availability of about 2,000 to 3,000 nursery plants per clone.
