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Preservation and premultiplication of selected grape material in 
Trentino: collaboration between FEM- S. Michele all’Adige and 

Trentino Grape-Nurseries AVIT-Consortium

U. Malossini*, L. Gretter**
*  Edmund Mach Foundtion, Istituto Agrario di S. Michele all’Adige, Via Edmondo Mach, 1, 38010 San Mi-

chele all’Adige (TN), umberto.malossini@fmach.it.
** AVIT, Consorzio Vivaisti Viticoli Trentini, Via R. Guardini, 73, 38121 Trento.

In Trentino, the Edmund Mach Foundation-San Michele all’Adige (FEM) is the institution responsible for the selec-
tion of grape propagation material for the wine industry, serving not only the local area. The premultiplication material, 
selected and maintained by FEM, is released commercially in the vine-nursery chain in collaboration with the Trentino 
Grape Nurseries Consortium (AVIT). FEM has made significant investments for the qualification of sanitary selection. 
In particular, the already existing structures (screen-house of approx. 500 m2) have been totally renovated and new open-
field greenhouses/tunnels (with anti-insect nets) have been realized. Special attention was paid to scientific training and 
updating of the personnel responsible for the control and treatment of clonal material primary sources. The personnel 
involved in the selection programs is also qualified thanks to participation in activities and projects carried out at na-
tional level, in collaboration with other premultiplication centres and scientific institutions, for the study and validation 
of official protocols of selection and/or premultiplication. Active participation in these initiatives has enabled a constant 
updating of procedures for internal audit on selected materials.

The preservation of “primary sources” of registered clones takes place both under screen house and in a micropropa-
gation laboratory (tissue culture), allowing the possible “sanitation” of special accessions. This service is carried out also 
for other breeders. Annually FEM manages at their farm more than 3.5 hectares of surface area for “initial”, “basic” and 
“certified” categories of V. vinifera and rootstock propagation material An additional approx. 1.5 hectares of vineyards, 
obtained with FEM selections but commercially classified in the “standard” category, is also under FEM control. The 
“initial” materials of 84 accessions of V. vinifera and Vitis hybrid rootstock clones are preserved under screen-house. 
These materials belong to clones registered by FEM, some of them in association with other institutions, or preserved on 
behalf of third parties. Each accession or clone is present with an average of five or more plants (grown in 70-L contain-
ers), depending on the “commercial” interest. The yield of buds or cuttings to supply grafting activity is significant. The 
two tunnel-like structures in the field (one for the production of rootstock cuttings and the other of V. vinifera scions) 
cover a total area of approx. 2,000 m2 with a defined mapping of every single vine. Most of the materials under the tunnels 
belong to the “basic” category. In addition to vineyard management, a strict sanitary control is carried out by means of 
field surveys and visual monitoring of the main disease symptoms. Plants are routinely sampled for diagnostic virus as-
says, particularly for the official verifications required by certification services. All the operations are carefully recorded 
as required for genuine traceability of nursery materials and as a guarantee in the subsequent stages of propagation. Since 
2008, AVIT acts as the only authorized nursery for management and marketing of “basic” category grafted rootlings of 
the FEM clones. AVIT, along with its administrative office in collaboration with Nucleo di Premoltiplicazione Viticola 
delle Venezie, arranges reservations, production and distribution of selected rootlings.

AVIT has recently been recognized as a co-breeder proponent, along with FEM, of seven new clones (registered in 
the National Catalogue). In 2012, a consortium was formed by FEM and CIVIT AVIT with the aim of pursuing a path of 
mutual interest, in the wake of innovation in the field of viticulture and wine making.

Adv. Hort. Sci., 2013 27(3): 100