Gravesac
| Variety Passport | |
| Country of origin: | France |
| Breeder: | INRA |
| Variety number VIVC: | 9315 |
| Prime name: | Gravesac |
| Breeding number: | 264 |
| Year of obtaining / registration: | obtained in 1962 |
| Pedigree given by breeder: | 161-49 Couderc × 3309 Couderc |
| Pedigree confirmed by markers: | 161-49 Couderc × 3309 Couderc |
| Rootstock type: | Phylloxera-resistant, Acid-soil tolerant |
| Data Sources: | Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC), INRAE (France) |
| Agrobiology | |
| Vigor: | vigorous |
| Lateral shoot formation: | weak |
| Flower type: | male |
| Active lime tolerance: | 6% |
| Drought tolerance: | tolerant |
| Waterlogging tolerance: | medium |
| Nematode susceptibility: | 4 points (highly susceptible) |
| Root phylloxera susceptibility: | 1 point (highly resistant) |
| Rooting ability: | high |
| Graft compatibility with Vitis vinifera: | high |
| Recommended soil types: | Sandy or gravelly soils, as well as acidic soils |
| Ampelographic overview |
Origin history and economic significance
The rootstock variety Gravesac was obtained in 1962 by specialists of the INRA organization in France. This variety resulted from the crossbreeding of parent forms 161-49 Couderc and 3309 Couderc. The grape rootstock Gravesac has a definite economic significance for French viticulture, supporting an estimated surface area of grafted vineyards of about 14 000 hectares. The main regions of its active use are Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Val de Loire, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Alsace.
The rootstock Gravesac demonstrates a good affinity with grape graft varieties, ensuring balanced fertility and stable, rather high yields. The vigor conferred by the rootstock to grafted plants is rated from moderate to high, while the resulting wine products are usually characterized by good quality. The main advantage possessed by the rootstock variety Gravesac lies in its high adaptation to sandy and gravelly soils, as well as to acidic soils, where it demonstrates excellent viability.
Ampelographic description of the rootstock variety Gravesac
For the identification of the rootstock variety Gravesac, the following key morphological features are used:
- Young shoot (tip): The tip of the young shoot is closed, characterized by a very low density of prostrate hairs.
- Young leaves: Feature a characteristic slightly bronzed coloration.
- Shoots: Developing shoots have an elliptic or circular section and are distinguished by a strong anthocyanin coloration.
- Adult leaf: Adult leaves are medium in size, circular, entire. The leaf blade is smooth, slightly involute, sometimes with a weakly expressed goffered or hammered texture. A strong anthocyanin coloration of veins is observed. The petiole sinus is an open U-shape, sometimes with a naked petiole sinus. On the lower side of the leaves, a low density of erect hairs is noted with no prostrate hairs.
- Flower type: Male flower type.
- Woody shoot: Woody shoots have a browny red to purplish coloration, with no erect and prostrate hairs.
Features of agricultural technology in nursery management
The popularity of using the variety Gravesac as a rootstock shows a stable growth. The surface area of certified mother vines in nurseries producing rootstock material grew by 2015 and reached 110 hectares. The variety is characterized by shoots with a medium to large diameter of internodes, while the growth of lateral shoot buds is moderate.
The canes of the variety Gravesac are fairly hard, and its overall wood production in nurseries is rated as good, ranging from 40 000 to 70 000 meters of suitable canes per hectare. The cuttings of this rootstock demonstrate a good capacity for rooting and grafting aptitude. The affinity with most graft varieties is good. In the official clonal selection register of France, the only certified clone carries the number 264, the mother vines of which ensure the production of certified planting material.