Ruggeri 140

Origin and Agronomic Importance

The grape rootstock Richter 140 was obtained in Sicily by the breeder Antonino Ruggeri through the crossbreeding of Vitis berlandieri and Vitis rupestris cv. Rup. du Lot. The official inclusion of the variety into the national register of Italy took place on March 26, 1971. This variety holds a key economic value in Southern European nursery management, ensuring the annual production of millions of certified saplings (the annual output of commercial material in the "certified" category exceeded 5.9 million units during peak periods).

The variety is characterized by reliable resistance to the root form of phylloxera and possesses high natural immunity to fungal diseases. The primary advantage of this rootstock lies in its outstanding ecological adaptation to dry and extreme drought conditions. This rootstock variety successfully tolerates soils with a high content of active limestone, outperforming the traditional grape rootstock 41 B in terms of lime tolerance.

Richter 140 ensures strong growth vigor for the scion. Practical cultivation experience in mother plantations indicates high grafting compatibility and good affinity with the majority of European wine grape varieties.

Ampelographic Description of the Rootstock Variety Richter 140

The identification of the variety is conducted based on the following ampelographic characteristics:

• Young shoot: The tip of the young shoot is moderately expanded, small in size, greenish-bronze, with sparse pubescence.
• Young leaves: The first three apical leaves are gutter-shaped, elongated, shiny, and greenish-reddish-bronze, with sparse bristles. The fourth to sixth leaves are slightly gutter-shaped, small, entire, or with a slight hint of three lobes. The petiole sinus is very wide, clamp-shaped. The leaf blade is kidney-shaped, glabrous, and light green, with small tufts of hairs at the branching of the veins. The veins exhibit a brownish tint near their base. The petiole is covered with sparse hairs.
• Growing shoot: The direction of growth is erect (spreading bush form). The herbaceous shoot is ribbed in cross-section, covered with sparse downy hairs, and displays a distinct, bright red-violet coloration on one side. The cross-section is polygonal, and the nodes and internodes are intensely colored deep red-violet on the sun-exposed side. The tendrils are intermittent, bifid, red-violet, and possess sparse long hairs.
• Adult leaf: The leaf blade is medium in size, practically entire (with a hint of three lobes), kidney-shaped, and features a slightly gutter-like profile. The upper side is smooth, glabrous, shiny, of intense green color, and the veins are pinkish at the base. The lower side is light green with bristly tufts of hairs at the vein bifurcations. The teeth are poorly pronounced, with convex margins and short points (mucronate). The terminal teeth of the lobes are sharp. The petiole sinus is open, wide, and V-shaped (slightly clamp-like). The petiole is short, with sparse hairs, wine-red in color, and has a distinct groove.
• Inflorescence (flower type): Male flowers.
• Woody shoot: The lignified canes are of medium length and thickness, branched. The cross-section is slightly elliptical, and the surface features weak striation. The coloration of the cane is brownish with hazel stripes, and the nodes are dark brown, poorly visible. The internodes are of medium length (12–13 cm), and the buds are small and pointed.

Nursery Management and Propagation Features

In mother plantations, the variety forms a spreading bush growth habit. The variety is distinguished by good wood maturation by the end of the season. According to phenological phases, bud burst and flowering occur in medium terms, while leaf fall is noted relatively late. The cuttings possess a satisfactory capacity for independent rooting, but the variety demonstrates very high grafting technology parameters, ensuring an excellent percentage of first-grade sapling survival during the production of bench grafts under industrial nursery conditions.