04_vujovic_05b-tomazic 19/02/16 00:13 Page267 AGROBIOLOGICAL AND WINE QUALITY TRAITS OF VITIS VINIFERA cv. MERLOT CLONES SELECTED IN SERBIA Dragan S. VUJOVIĆ 1, Dragoljub M. ŽUNIĆ 1, Blaženka S. POPOVIĆ 1, Milica M. PANTELIĆ 2 and Jelena B. POPOVIĆ-DJORDJEVIĆ 1* 1: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Nemanjina 6, 11080 Belgrade, Serbia 2: Innovation Center, Faculty of Chemistry Ltd, University of Belgrade, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia Abstract Résumé Aims : The selection of cv. Merlot clones performed in the Objectifs : La sélection de clones de la variété Merlot Grocka winegrowing region, Republic of Serbia, and the réalisée dans un vignoble de Grocka, République de Serbie, study of agrobiological and technological traits of three et l’étude des caractéristiques agrobiologiques et selected clones and Merlot standard. technologiques de trois clones ainsi qu’un standard Merlot. Methods and results : The selection of clones was done Méthodes et résultats : Les clones ont été sélectionnés par using the method of individual clone selection in four une méthode de la sélection clonique en quatre phases phases over 15-20 years (Cindrić, 2003). O.I.V. methods pendant une période de 15-20 ans (Cindrić, 2003). Pour were used in determining the most important agrobiological déterminer les caractéristiques agrobiologiques et and economic-technological traits of grapes. The results of économiques-technologiques du raisin les plus importantes, studied traits of grape and wine suggest that the quality of les méthodes O.I.V. ont été appliquées. Les résultats des the clones surpassed the quality of the standard. Although caractéristiques étudiées du raisin et du vin ont montré que the highest values for most of the studied traits were la qualité des clones a surpassé la qualité du standard. Bien obtained for clone 025, there was no statistically significant que les valeurs les plus élevées pour la plupart des difference between the clones. Indeed, the significant caractéristiques étudiées ont été obtenues pour le clone 025 , distinction between the clones was obtained for total il n’y avait pas de différence statistiquement significative polyphenol content (TPC) and total anthocyanin content entre les clones. En effet , la distinction significative entre (TAC) in wines : the wine of clone 025 had the highest les clones a été obtenue pour la teneur totale en TPC and TAC values. According to the tasting scores, polyphénols (TPC ) et la teneur en anthocyanes totale wines of the clones may be classified as « quality wines (TAC) dans les vins : le vin du clone 025 avait la plus forte with geographical indications ». TPC et TAC . D’après les notes de dégustation, les vins de clones ont été caractérisés comme des « vins de qualité à Conclusion : The selected clones were characterised by indication géographique ». good quality grapes and wines . Improved viticultural parameters, versus the mother vine, indicate the need for Conclusion : Les clones sélectionnés montrent une bonne further research work on the chemistry of both grapes and qualité du raisin et du vin. L’amélioration des paramètres wines, aiming to better understand the characteristics of the viticoles, par rapport à la vigne mère, montre la réelle selected clones and their market potential. nécessité de poursuivre les travaux de recherche sur la chimie des raisins et des vins afin de mieux comprendre les Significance and impact of the study : The development caractéristiques des clones sélectionnés et leur potentiel de of new clones (namely 022, 025 and 029) of better quality marché. than the mother vine will, in the long term, lead to the introduction of the best clone(s) in viticultural practices and Signification et impact de l’étude : Le développement de production. Until today, the clonal selection of Merlot has nouveaux clones (soit 022, 025 et 029) de meilleure qualité not been done in the Republic of Serbia and there are no que la vigne mère va mener, à plus long terme, à recognised clones. l’introduction d(u)es meilleur(s) clone(s) dans les pratiques viticoles et la production. Jusqu’à aujourd’hui, la sélection Key words : Merlot, clones, grape composition, phenols, clonale de la variété Merlot n’a pas été faite en République anthocyanins de Serbie et il n’y a pas de clones reconnus. Mots clés : Merlot, clones, composition du raisin, phénols, anthocyanes manuscript received 2nd March 2015 - revised manuscript received 23rd October 2015 J. Int. Sci. Vigne Vin , 2015, 49 , 4, 267-274 *Corresponding author : [email protected] - 267 - ©Vigne et Vin Publications Internationales (Bordeaux, France) 04_vujovic_05b-tomazic 19/02/16 00:14 Page268 Dragan S. VUJOVIĆ et al. INTRODUCTION carried out in the « Radmilovac » experimental field of the Faculty of Agriculture in Belgrade. The site is located at Vitis vinifera is one of the oldest agricultural crops. It 44° 45’ north latitude and 20° 35’ east longitude, at an includes a large number of varieties of different use values altitude of 153 m above sea level. The study of the (Vivier and Pretorius, 2002) and only a few hundred agrobiological properties of the fourteen vines (selected in varieties are used for the commercial production of wine the first phase) pointed out eleven « best » vines (Avramov (Pelsy et al. , 2010). Full reproduction, vegetative et al. , 1996a). In the third phase of the selection process, reproduction and somatic mutations are the most important these vines were planted on the above mentioned site. The processes for the development of grape varieties (This et clones were visually inspected for common symptoms of al. , 2006). The best results have been achieved in the most important pathogens ( Plasmopara viticola , individual clonal selections from single, best vines Uncinula necator and Botrytis Cinerea ) and chlorosis. (Ivanišević et al. , 2012). This method eliminates the Merlot clones were very resistant to chlorosis (Code 401 - negative influence of mutations and prevents the grade 9). In terms of disease resistance, they were a) very reproduction of virus-infected vines (Ruhl et al. , 2004). sensitive to P. viticola (Code 451 - grade 1), with leaves Old vine varieties are not genetically homogeneous. All medium/highly resistant to P. viticola (Code 452 - grade plants originated from the same mother plant represent 5/7) and clusters resistant to P. viticola (Code 453 - clones (Keller, 2010). Clonal selection in viticulture began grade 7) ; b) very sensitive to U. necator (Code 454 - in the late 1950s (van Leeuwen et al. , 2013). The initial grade 1), with leaves resistant to U. necator (Code 455 - aim of clonal selection was the creation of a virus-free grade 7) and clusters resistant to U. necator (Code 456 - population from healthy mother plants (Lacombe et al. , grade 7) ; and c) very sensitive to B. cinerea (Code 457 - 2004). Later on, other criteria for the selection of clones grade 1), with leaves medium resistant to B. cinerea (Code were introduced, such as yield, sugar content in grapes, 458 - grade 5) and clusters medium resistant to B. cinerea and the content of polyphenolic compounds and sensory (Code 459 - grade 5). On the basis of the results gathered characteristics of wine (van Leeuwen et al. , 2013). during the multi-annual period of studying agrobiological and technological characteristics (Avramov et al. , 1996b ; Merlot is one of the most widespread grape varieties in red Vujović, 2003), three « best » clones stood out : 022, 025 wine production. It is believed that the quality of the and 029. phenolic compounds, inherited from Cabernet Franc (father), and the early maturation and fertility, inherited Before the beginning of the fourth phase of clonal from Magdeleine Noire des Charentes (mother), are the selection, Merlot standard and selected clones were tested reasons for the rise and spread of this variety (Boursiquot (in Bari, Italy) for Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), grapevine et al. , 2009). The multi-annual work on clonal selection in fanleaf virus (GFLV), grapevine leafroll-associated virus 1 France led to the creation of clones characterised by a (GLRaV-1), grapevine flavescence dorée phytoplasma and series of positive characteristics important for the grapevine bois noir. ArMV, GFLV and GLRaV-1 were production of quality grapes and wines ( Audeguin et al. , tested using serological ELISA test and grapevine 2000). flavescence dorée phytoplasma and grapevine bois noir using molecular PCR test (OEPP/EPPO, 2008). Only The Merlot variety is very common in Serbia. However, virus-free vines were selected for further examination. the Merlot plantations have a heterogeneous population (Avramov et al. , 1996a). Therefore, the clonal selection of 2. Experimental plot this variety is very important for obtaining clones with better characteristics than the variety population. It is also In the fourth phase of the selection process, the necessary to create a basic planting material from parent experimental plot was planted with Merlot variety vines of selected clones. To date, there are no recognised (standard) and three clones (022, 025 and 029). Both Merlot clones in the Republic of Serbia. standard and clones were grafted using « tongue grafting » on the Kober 5BB rootstock. Each clone and standard were The aim of the study was to examine and compare, over a represented with 50 vines. The field experiment was set up five-year period, the agrobiological traits of grapes and the according to the experimental scheme « random block quality traits of wines obtained from new Merlot clones. system » in five replicates on the brown forest soil type (« Radmilovac » locality - Grocka winegrowing region). MATERIALS AND METHODS Planting distance was 3.0 m (between the rows) x 1.0 m (between the vines in a row). The training system was 1. Selection of the clones « high double asymmetric cordon ». Pruning was done uniformly leaving 20 buds per vine for all tested clones and The selection of clones was done using the method of standard. individual clonal selection in four phases (lasting 15- 20 years) (Cindrić, 2003).