Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
diseases. Intravarietal variability is responsible
for biotypes.
massal selection
Selection of mother plants for
propagation by choosing the plants that look the
best and give desired characteristics.
microsatellite analysis
Currently the most
important method by which grape varieties are
identifi ed. Microsatellite analysis recognizes
specifi c areas of a grape variety's genome,
usually short, simple repeats of the genome that
occur in the same place of the genome within
members of the same variety and not others.
It is commonly used in studies addressing
identifi cation, parentage, and population
issues. It has limitations and should always be
used in combination with ampelographic
methods.
millerandage
Condition when grape clusters
ripen unevenly, with some clusters fully ripe and
others very underripe, or when some grapes
within a cluster are fully ripe and others
underripe.
monovarietal wine
Wine made with 100 percent
of a single variety. For the purposes of this topic,
monovarietal and “pure” are used
interchangeably.
mutation
A permanent genetic change involving
some part of the DNA molecule.
national registry of grape varieties
Italy's
offi cial, government-determined list of grape
varieties; it includes wine grapes, table grapes,
special destination grapes, and those used as a
source of rootstocks. It is updated every year
by the Ministry of Agriculture (the Ministero
per le Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali)
with the academic and practical help of the
viticultural research center in Conegliano
(Centro Ricerche Agricoltura-Viticoltura, or
CRA-VIT). The registry is an offi cial requirement
instituted by the European Union in 1968 for
each of its member countries: not only do all
these registries need to identify and list all the
offi cially recognized grape varieties present in the
country, but to also provide precise morphologic,
viticultural, and genetic data on each variety.
Only those varieties that have been suffi ciently
studied and proven to be distinct and found in
homogenous populations may be listed.
mildew also reduces the resistance of table
grapes.
oiv (organization internationale de la vigne
et du vin)
The International Organization of
Vine and Wine, formerly the International Vine
and Wine Offi ce, was founded in 2001. It is an
intergovernmental association that encourages
and supports bench and fi eld research, and
promotes grape growing, wine production, and
wine marketing in member countries.
peronospora
A common grapevine disease also
known as downy mildew. It affects the leaves,
fruit, and shoots of grapevines, causing decreased
berry production and production of poor-quality
wine.
phenotype
What an individual looks like, or the
observed characteristics of an organism, which
are the result of the interactions between
genotype and environment.
phylloxera
An aphid that feeds on the roots of
European grapevines and kills them. It arrived in
Europe from the United States toward the end of
the nineteenth century and destroyed most of the
continent's vineyards; only those grapevines
planted on very sandy or volcanic soils and in
cold, high mountain environments, where the
aphid cannot live, managed to survive. European
wine production was saved by grafting European
grapevines onto American grapevine rootstocks,
the roots (but only the roots) of which are
immune to the parasite. Previously known as
Phylloxera devastatrix
(an apt name), it was
renamed
Viteus vitifoliae;
its current scientifi c
name is
Dactylosphaera vitifolia.
However, use of
the phylloxera name is so engrained that the new
name is rarely if ever used outside scientifi c
circles. Pre-phylloxera vines are those still with
their original European rootstock, but such plants
are rare and limited to the specifi c habitats
mentioned previously.
polyphenol
Micronutrients found in nature (for
example, in vegetables and fruits) that have a
positive effect in fi ghting diseases and the aging
processes of cells, organs, and organisms; better
known as antioxidants. Though the exact effects
of dietary polyphenols are hard to judge for
a variety of reasons, it appears that a regular
dietary intake of these molecules is linked to
lower incidences of many unhealthy conditions,
including cardiovascular disease, various
cancers, and Alzheimer's disease. The best
known polyphenol molecules in grapes and
oidium
A common grapevine disease also known
as powdery mildew. It can cause small, decrepit-
looking berries and off-fl avors in wine. Powdery
