Variety traits

Grapevine Winter Hardiness

Vitis L.

The complex ability of a grapevine to withstand adverse winter conditions, including critical frosts, temperature fluctuations, and desiccation. It encompasses genetic frost resistance, measured by LT50 (death of 50% of central buds), and the status of the agronomic background.

In the reference 56 varieties crop Grapevine, where this is mentioned in the description.

In viticulture, winter hardiness is distinguished from frost resistance, which is a constant genetic parameter determining a cultivar's ability to withstand critical temperatures. Winter hardiness, however, covers the entire complex of winter factors, including thaws, icing, drying winds, and moisture regimes. It depends critically on the degree of cane maturation and the accumulation of nutrient reserves by the plant before the onset of the dormant period.

The condition of grapevines is assessed using methods of artificial freezing of cuttings, analyzing bud viability, determining tissue electrical conductivity, or through physiological and biochemical studies of water content and protective substances, such as anthocyanins and ascorbic acid. The primary indicator is LT50 — the temperature at which half of the central buds die — as well as their survival percentage in field conditions after overwintering.

Insufficient winter hardiness leads to damage to buds, perennial wood, and annual canes, which necessitates cover-crop cultivation or the application of specific agrotechnical practices. Managing winter hardiness includes regulating crop load, timely application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for high-quality shoot maturation, and protection against diseases and pests to maintain the overall health of the vine.

General information about the subject — on the page Winter hardiness.

Sources8

Varieties of Grapevine mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.