Federico Paulsen
Federico Paulsen (full name — Federico Paulsen-Datti) was born on March 31, 1861, in Rome. In 1884, he graduated from the Higher School of Agriculture in Portici (Scuola Superiore di Agricoltura di Portici), earning a degree in agricultural sciences. Paulsen's practical and scientific activities were directed toward mitigating the consequences of the phylloxera epidemic in southern Italy through the breeding of rootstock vines adapted to the arid conditions and specific soil types of Sicily.
In 1886, Paulsen began working as an assistant at the State Practical Nursery of American Vines in Palermo (Regio Vivaio Governativo di Viti Americane di Palermo), which had been established by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture to restore vineyards destroyed by phylloxera. He later became the director of this institution. The primary agronomic challenge of the region was the unsuitability of standard Franco-American rootstocks: on dry, calcareous hills, European scions grafted onto these rootstocks suffered from severe lime-induced chlorosis.
Paulsen focused on interspecific hybridization of the wild American grapevine species Vitis berlandieri (possessing natural tolerance to lime) and Vitis rupestris (characterized by drought resistance and a deeply penetrating root system). In 1896, at the Palermo nursery, as a result of crossing the forms Vitis berlandieri cv. Rességuier № 2 and Vitis rupestris cv. Lot, he obtained a seedling that entered ampelographic registries under the name Paulsen 1103 (1103 Paulsen / 1103 P).
The developed rootstock is characterized by high vigor, a deeply penetrating root system, and the capacity to withstand active calcium content in the soil up to 17–20% according to the Galet scale, as well as moderate soil salinity. The hybrid enabled the restoration of commercial vineyards in Sicily and remains in demand in viticulture within arid regions worldwide.
During extensive research into the same parental combination in Palermo, Paulsen selected several other promising rootstock forms. Among them are the 779 P rootstock (developed in 1894, which demonstrated high biological compatibility with European grapevine varieties) and the specialized 1447 P rootstock (obtained in 1896 from a cross with the form Vitis rupestris cv. Martin), which is distinguished by its resistance to soil nematodes.
Federico Paulsen passed away in 1943 in the city of Riccione in northern Italy at the age of 82. The breeding center in Palermo, founded with his participation, continues to operate under the official name Vivaio Regionale Federico Paulsen. Paulsen's work confirmed the efficiency of using combinations of Berlandieri × Rupestris species to impart drought resistance properties to rootstocks, which expanded the possibilities of viticulture on poor, arid soils.