34 EM
| Variety Passport | |
| Country of origin: | France |
| Breeder: | Gustave Foëx |
| Variety number VIVC: | 3815 |
| Prime name: | Ecole Montpellier 34 |
| Principal Synonyms: | Ecole de Montpellier 34, Foex 34-E, Berlandieri X Riparia 34 E.M. |
| Year of obtaining / registration: | obtained in 1890 |
| Pedigree given by breeder: | Vitis Berlandieri variety Ecole × Vitis Riparia |
| Pedigree confirmed by markers: | Vitis Berlandieri variety Ecole × Vitis Riparia |
| Rootstock type: | Phylloxera-resistant, Nematode-resistant, Lime-tolerant |
| Data Sources: | Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC), INRAE (France) |
| Agrobiology | |
| Flower type: | male |
| Active lime tolerance: | 20% |
| Nematode susceptibility: | 2 points (resistant) |
| Root phylloxera susceptibility: | 2 points (resistant) |
| Rooting ability: | medium |
| Graft compatibility with Vitis vinifera: | high |
| Ampelographic overview |
Origin history and economic significance
The rootstock variety Ecole de Montpellier 34 was obtained in 1890 by the breeder Gustave Foëx. This grapevine variety is the result of crossing the parental pair Vitis berlandieri variety Ecole and Vitis riparia. In France, as of 2026, the areas of Ecole de Montpellier 34 mother blocks comprise insignificant volumes; however, the variety finds application in such wine-growing regions as Alsace and Champagne, where the total area of plantations grafted onto this rootstock is estimated at approximately 500 hectares. The rootstock Ecole de Montpellier 34 exerts a direct influence on the early onset of the scion's vegetative cycle, which makes its use practical and high-demand for northern viticulture areas, as well as in the cultivation of table grape varieties.
Morphological description of the rootstock variety Ecole de Montpellier 34
Research scientists have described the following morphological characteristics of the grapevine rootstock Ecole de Montpellier 34:
- Young shoot (tip): the tip of the young shoot is in a semi-open or completely closed state, characterized by a medium density of prostrate hairs. Young leaves have a slightly bronze coloration.
- Shoot: annual shoots possess a weakly ribbed surface. The cross-section of the shoot is circular or slightly elliptical. Internodes and nodes on the dorsal side are colored red; a high density of erect hairs is noted on the nodes and internodes.
- Formed leaf: mature leaves have a distinct wedge-shaped form with rolled inward margins of the blade. The petiolar sinus is very open, U-shaped. The teeth along the leaf margins are characterized by straight sides. The anthocyanin coloration of the main veins of the leaf blade varies from weak to moderate. A low to medium density of erect hairs is fixed on the lower side of the leaf.
- Flower type: male. No clusters are formed.
- Mature vine: lignified shoots have a matte brownish-gray surface with a high density of erect hairs in the area of nodes and internodes.
Features of agricultural techniques in nursery production
The variety Ecole de Montpellier 34 provides low to moderate productivity in rootstock vine yield in mother blocks, which amounts to 25,000 to 50,000 meters of finished cuttings per hectare. Under industrial nursery conditions, this rootstock is characterized by a medium rootstock rooting capacity of cuttings, but at the same time, it possesses a good callusing capacity and high graft compatibility with scion varieties of the species Vitis vinifera. The variety Ecole de Montpellier 34 possesses high tolerance to the root form of phylloxera; resistance to the soil nematodes Meloidogyne incognita is evaluated as very good, while to nematodes of the species Meloidogyne arenaria it is only moderate. The considered grapevine rootstock is capable of tolerating an active lime content in the soil up to 20% with a chlorosis index (ICP) value equal to 40, demonstrating at the same time resistance to iron chlorosis from moderate to good.