The French Hybrid Grapes H. c. BARRETT1 In the past several years a relatively gardener or the plantsman who wishes to "new" dass of grape varieties has come explore some of the surprises that the to the attention of fruit growers and gar­ world of grapes has to offer for his or her · deners. This "new" class of grape varie­ pleasure and enjoyrnent. ties owes its origin to the plant breeders o£ France, who, by their persistent and History and Origin diligent efforts, have created a new race To understand why the French hybrids of grapes with many distinctive charac­ came into existence and the background ters not found elsewhere in the grape for their development in France, one has family. In their country of origin, France, to go back to the blackest days in French these grape varieties are known ·collec­ viticulture when the scourge of phyl­ tively as les hybrides producteurs directes loxera, downy mildew, oidium (powdery (the hybrid direct producers), but in mildew) and black rot were plaguing the North America they are known as the French vineyardists and threatening to French hybrids to differentiate them from exterminate vine growing in France, then the American hybrid or bunch grape va­ as now, the greatest grape-growing coun­ rieties so widely grown in eastern North try in the world. Phylloxera, c.aused by America. a tiny root louse, Phyllo:cera vastatrix, . attacked the root system of the highly Because the French hybrids are new to susceptible French vinifera varieties and the gar·deners and fruit growers of this by their puncturing of the root cells to country and because most of these grape suck out the plant juices progressively varieties have been grown for only a few caused the decline in growth and vigor years even in the test plantings of Ex­ until death of the plant resulted. This periment Station vineyards, it is believed minute insect pest and the damage it that a bit of information on their origin caused was sufficient in itself to ruin the and the most promising varieties for this vineyards except in certain areas unfavor­ country would be helpful to those who able to its attack-but to add to the misery may wish to grow some of these grape and despair of the growers came still other varieties. The great majority of these pests to attack the above-ground portions varieties have been grown in North of the vine. America only since the end of World War II and a very few of the older varieties Downy mildew caused the complete have been grown in Experiment Station loss of the blossom clusters and fi-uit, de­ vineyards sihce around 1904. Aside from pending upon the season of infection. these few earlier varieties less .than a dec­ The leaves were destroyed· by this fungus ade has passed in. time to evaluate their which produced spores by the millions for behavior and adaptability to our climatic fresh infections until the vines stood bare conditions. This period of time is prob­ long before autumn frost. Oidium or <!!bly of too short duration for an adequate powdery mildew caused cracking of the test under all of the varied conditions berries so that they shrivelled and rotted, encountered, but it has served to indi­ while black rot destroyed the fruit . and cate that some of these varieties are prom­ blossom clusters leaving· for the vine­ ising and worthy of wider testing. F.ew.er yardist nothing but rotted berries and still are the promising varieties which ap­ shrivelled mummies. pear to have distinctive commercial possi­ bilities, but this in itself should cause no - All of- these pests came orig�nally from concern for the amateur horticulturist, the North America, probably upon wild or cultivated American grape varieties that !Assistant Profe�sor of Plant Breeding, Department of Horticulture, University of Illinois, Urban·a, Illinois. had been imported to Europe at different [132] July 1956 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 133 times by botanists, plant collectors and needed to spray and graft grapes. The other students of plants. answer lay in the ways and laws of Na­ ture. For thousands of years the wild The whole situation appeared hopeless grapes of North America were hosts to as nothing was known about these pests their parasites, these various fungus dis­ bey-ond their botanical or entomological eases and the root louse, phylloxera. classification in the case of phylloxera. Throughout this long period of evolution, Quite by accident, Millardet, one of the those grape vines which resisted their at­ greatest French viticulturists and scien­ tackers survived and in turn begot off­ tists, observed that vines along a road­ spring which were subjected to this same side, sprayed and smeared with an evil­ vigorous selection of the fit and the re­ appearing mixture of copper sulphate and jection and subsequent death of the un­ lime by a vineyardist to discourage pas­ fit-the susceptible types. The vinifera sersby from eating the fruit, were re­ varieties, on the other hand, had evolved markably free of downy mildew despite in Europe and southwestern Asia with­ severe damage to the unsprayed vines. out this selection for resistance because Here, then, was a preventive treatment these diseases and phylloxera were not for downy mildew, the worst of the in­ present in the Old World until introduced troduced fungus diseases. P-owdery into Europe in the nineteenth. century by ·mildew yielded to dusting with sulphur Europeans. and black rot yielded to the evil-appearing mixture of copper sulphate and lime dis­ At first the French viticulturists im­ covered by Millardet. Today we are all ported all of the cultivated American familiar with this mixture, the universally grape var1eties in the hope that some of known Bordeaux mixture, named after these w<':.tld be satisfactory for table and the region near Bordeaux, Fr<;tnce;-where wine production, but..it became apparent Millardet first made that historic discov­ after a few years that none of these was ery. equal to the French vinifera varieties in the qualities desired. Furthermore, the Other observant viticulturists in Fra'nce majority of these Americanr,varieties were noticed that some of the wild American either selections of Vitis labrusca or hy­ grape species and a few of the cultivated brids between V. labrusca and V. vini� American · varieties either suffered no fera. Unfortunately, V. labrusca was na- visible damage from phylloxera or re­ . tive to a portion of North America where sisted its action for longer periods -of time the climate and particularly the soil were· than the susceptible vinifera varieties, and unfavorable for phylloxera ·and conse­ thus the first clue to combatting phyl- quently this grape species was -only slight­ .loxera appeared. By grafting the French ly better in resistance to the insect than varieties on the roots of the resistant V. vinifera. Combining species of little or American vines, the damage caused by no resistance to this insect produced off­ phylloxera was averted and the French spring of comparable resistance and, when vineyards were rapidly reconstituted on grown in areas favorable to phylloxera resistant root stocks. such as central and southern France, the vines quickly died or became sickly and All of this was well and good and the unthrifty. The resistance of V. labrusca world owes France a great deal for solv­ to fungus diseases varied from ,very poor ing a series of problems that were of great to fairly good and, when combined with economic importance, but all of these V. vinifera) gave offspring that were in­ sprays and grafting techniques added to termediate in resistance, that is, a little the cost of growing grapes. Other French better than the susceptible viilifera parent viticulturists, thinking ahead of the pres­ but less resistant than· the labrusca par­ ent, looked about for an answer t6 these ent.· In addition, the "foxy" flavor of the problems that would not require the great labrusca ancestor produced a wine that amount of money, labor, and equipment was highly disagreeable to European 134 THE NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL MAGAZINE July 1956 palates. Likewise, the tough, pulpy flesh producteurs directes (direct producers). and "foxy" flavor of the fresh fruit was This term "direct producer" is used in a very poor substitute for the fine, crisp, France to designate a variety grown on tender flesh of the vinifera table varieties its own roots or direct in contrast with with their refined, delicate flavors. The a grafted vine in which the scion or fruit­ labrusca varieties and their hybrids pos­ producing port_ion of the vine is grown on sessed size of berry, lacked resistance to a rootstock or porte greffe (graft bear- - phylloxera and fungus diseases, but were er). especially deficient in quality. With this background of the state of There existed many other wild Ameri­ viticulture in France as it existed in the can grape species which did have very late 70's and early SO's, one can unde�·­ high resistance to phylloxera and the fun­ stand why Eugene Contassot and many gus diseases, did not possess the extreme­ of his countrymen were interested in ly disagreeable "foxy" taste and aroma, American vines. In 1882 M. Contassot, but did lack the berry size of V. labrusca an amateur viticulturist in the town of and V. vinifera. More important than Aubenas, France, received a shipment of the lack of size, however, was the superior grape cuttings from a grape collector in resistance of their hybrids with vinifera Neosho, Missouri. This collector was as compared with the labrusca and vini­ Herman Jaeger, an amateur grape breed­ fera hybrids. er and collector who searched the area of southwestern Missouri, eastern Oklaho­ The French vineyardists after careful ma, northwestern Arkansas and north­ study and testing largely abandoned the eastern Texas for the best specimens of labrusca types and their hybrids and be­ wild grapes for use in his breeding ex­ gan to study the other native American periments.