Influence of rootstock type on the agronomic characteristics of two grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars grown in the Northwestern Iberian Peninsula

The physiology of grafted plants has been studied by several authors (During, 1994; Ollat et al., 2003) and some rootstock are known to be better than others with respect to the use of water resources and in terms of their adaptation to calcareous soils (Corino and Castino, 1990; Corino et al., 2002). The choice of rootstocks is also important with respect to the resistance against various diseases (Chambre d´Agriculture de L´Aude, 2004; Pinkerton et al., 2005). Several papers have shown that certain agronomic and ampelographic characteristics of vines can change depending on the area of cultivation (Martínez et al., 1997), the weather (Corino and Castino, 1990; Corino et al., 1999), and the rootstock used (Climaco et al., 1999; Corino et al., 1999). The effect of the rootstock on the vegetative growth of the plant, on its fruit production, and on the composition and quality of its wine have been studied for several years (Main et al., 2002; Vanden-Heuvel et al., 2004). Since the effects of a particular rootstock on different cultivars, and the effects of the rootstock in different growing environments have not been elucidated, it is important to know the cultivar-rootstock-environment interactions before any selection is made. Two grape cultivars, Caíño Tinto and Albariño, are widely grown in Galicia (northwestern Spain) and northern Portugal (where they are known as Borraçal and Alvarinho respectively) (Pinto-Carnide et al., 2003; Santiago et al., 2005). Although Albariño is a leading cultivar in this area, their economic interest was only noticiable in the last 20 years and no results have been reported concerning the influence of rootstock type within these two cultivars. Among the rootstocks most commonly used in the study area are those of Vitis berlandieri hybrids. These show high adaptability to saline soils and have good affinity for cultivated grapevines (Hidalgo, 2002). The rootstock 110 Richter is a hybrid between Vitis berlandieri and V. rupestris, while SO4, Selection Oppenheim of Teleki No. 4, is a hybrid between V. berlandieri and V. riparia. Both are commonly used for their ability to adapt to many types of soil and environmental conditions (Reynier, 2002). The aim of the present work was to study the infl uence of rootstock type on a number of production variables in the two grape cultivars.This research has been supported in part by the “Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología”, Spain, (VIN00-036-C6-3, RF02-004-C5-2, HP2000-0032, VIN03-002-C6-3). The Excma. Diputación Provincial de Pontevedra also provided a research grant.Peer Reviewe