IS IT POSSIBLE TO RETURN TO THE PROPAGATION OF NOBLE GRAPEVINES BY STEM CUTTINGS ?

Abstract

Our ancestors propagated vines by stem cuttings. This custom lasted until the introduction of phylloxera, an insect from the aphid family, to Europe, which decimated noble vines. The first measures were desperate, including placing a toad at the root of the vine, treating it with sulfur, growing it on beach sand, or flooding it. The hybridization of noble vines with American wild vines in bloom led to the emergence of direct-producing hybrids; these produced inferior wine. Grafting European noble vines onto phylloxera-tolerant rootstocks was the accepted method worldwide. After 100 years, phylloxera disappeared because it had nowhere to live. Can we return to propagation by cuttings? This article invites a debate.