Wine Australia has released an upgraded Grapevine Rootstock Selector tool that will arm Australia's winegrape growers with enhanced knowledge about the rootstocks that suit their individual vineyards.
Planting rootstocks can provide viticultural benefits as well as provide protection against known risks to vine health such as phylloxera and nematodes. The free Grapevine Rootstock Selector tool has refined the vineyard selection criteria and highlights phylloxera tolerance among the identified rootstocks to ensure that growers can better determine the rootstock that will best suit their vineyard.
Wine Australia General Manager Research, Development and Extension Dr Liz Waters said the Grapevine Rootstock Selector brought together knowledge from Australian and international research in a single, easy-to-use, independent resource for the Australian grape and wine community.
'Working with CSIRO research scientists Dr Rob Walker and Peter Clingeleffer, the Grapevine Rootstock Selector has been thoroughly revised, updating knowledge from many years of scientific research from Australia and overseas with the latest information about the specific characteristics of different rootstocks', Dr Waters said.
'Choosing the right rootstock can eliminate many long-held concerns about quality. The Grapevine Rootstock Selector has extensive information on rootstock and scion compatibility and soil suitability, so that grapegrowers can take advantage of decades of research and trial work.
