Rootstock characteristics

There are around 20 varieties of rootstock for winegrapes commonly available in Australia; all but one of which are hybrids of three American vitis species:

• Vitis riparia
• Vitis rupestris
• Vitis berlandieri

The hybrids have been developed in Europe over the past 100 years, to combine the most desirable features of each species. A brief description of the characteristics of the main hybrid groups is given below. Click on a rootstock variety for information on its characteristics.

The other common rootstock, Ramsey, is derived from the species Vitis champini.

V. berlandieri x V. riparia

• 420A Millardet and de Grasset show more ›
• This rootstock is considered to have low vigour and adapts well to calcareous soils (20% active lime). It is reported to assist scion fertility for varieties susceptible to poor set (Candolfi-Vasconcelos 1995, from May 2004), and has a long vegetative cycle.
  
  It has a shallow-growing and well-branched root system that is well suited to poorer, heavy-textured soils. It is susceptible to drought, salt (Southey 1992) and waterlogging (Whiting 2003).
  
  It has high phylloxera resistance and moderate nematode resistance. It is susceptible to phytophthora (Southey 1992). While it grafts well, it has been reported to have mediocre rooting ability.
  
  It is a minor variety, and there is little experience with growing it in Australia, but it may be a good rootstock for high quality wines in specific situations where growing conditions are suitable. A trial block would be advisable before undertaking a large-scale planting. ‹ hide
• 5BB Kober / 5A Teleki show more ›
• 5BB Kober and 5A Teleki have been grown in Australia for many years. The two varieties were recently found to be genetically identical, although there seem to be some clonal differences. The name 5BB Kober is used here to refer to both clones.
  
  5BB Kober has moderate to high growth and yield. It has a shallow root system and is able to tolerate up to 20% active lime, but is not suited for sites that receive prolonged drought. It should be noted that the rootstock performs significantly better than own-rooted vines in sites with acid soils and drought conditions.
  
  The rootstock is moderately sensitive to salt, but is more tolerant than Vitis vinifera (Zhang et al. 2004) and has poor tolerance to waterlogging. It has moderate resistance to root-knot and citrus nematode, but is susceptible to dagger and root-lesion nematode (Nicol et al. 1999).
  
  There have been reports of incompatibility of certain V. vinifera varieties with 5BB Kober. Local experience indicates that any scion with a significant virus load grafts poorly with this rootstock, which reinforces the need to use certified material of known virus status.
  
  From limited trial work this rootstock has yielded well in a variety of regions including the Riverland, McLaren Vale and Barossa Valley on heavily nematode-infested sandy soils, and at Coonawarra in a replant situation.
  
  A rootstock suitable for most regions, so long as the soils are free-draining and supplementary irrigation water of sound quality is available. ‹ hide
• 5C Teleki show more ›
• This rootstock has moderate vigour and is considered a good choice for varieties with poor set, such as Merlot (Candolfi-Vasconcelos 1995, from May 2004). It is reported to be the earliest maturing of this rootstock group (Galet 1998).
  
  5C Teleki has questionable resistance to root-knot nematode but is resistant to root-lesion nematode (Nicol et al. 1999).
  
  It is suited to well-drained fertile soils and is good for clay and clay loam soils. This rootstock also has high tolerance to calcareous soils but does not perform exceptionally well on acid or salt-affected soils.
  
  It has yielded well in a number of regions under different conditions. In the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale on nematode-infested soils it was one of the top-ranking rootstocks. Likewise in Clare and Langhorne Creek it yielded well with Cabernet Sauvignon as a scion. Trials in the Riverland also show the rootstock to be a good performer in relation to yield.
  
  A rootstock suitable for most regions, so long as the soils are free-draining and adequate irrigation water of sound quality is available; it is particularly well-suited to cooler climates because of its ability to increase set and advance maturity and has performed well when grafted to Cabernet Sauvignon in the Coonawarra. ‹ hide
• SO4 show more ›
• This rootstock is moderately vigorous and is reported to encourage high yield (Galet 1998). From the limited data available in South Australia it appears to yield well, but not excessively, in acid soils of the Adelaide Hills. It was the highest yielding rootstock in nematode infested soils of the Barossa Valley, in a comparison that included Ramsey. In the Riverland it yielded significantly lower than the top ranked rootstocks.
  
  SO4 has a shallow growing root system. It tolerates active lime of up to 17-18%, as well as performing satisfactorily in acid soils. It is well adapted to a wide range of soils but does best in light, well-drained soils of low fertility. It does not tolerate drought conditions and is moderately sensitive to salt.
  
  It assimilates magnesium poorly and this is reported to contribute to inflorescence necrosis in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon in French conditions (Galet 1998).
  
  This rootstock has good resistance to nematodes.
  
  It should be noted that SO4 has been criticised for its slender trunk, which can cause breakage at the grafts with mechanical harvesting. In addition, it is reported that vigour decreases considerably after 15-20 years (Galet 1998). ‹ hide

V. berlandieri x V. rupestris

• 140 Ruggeri show more ›
• This rootstock is one of the most vigorous and has consistently been relatively high yielding in trial and commercial applications.
  
  It is a very hardy rootstock suitable for the most challenging drought conditions. It is also able to tolerate active lime up to 20% as well as perform in slightly acid soils. It is moderately resistant to nematodes.
  
  It has very good tolerance to salt and is able to exclude grape juice chloride and sodium in saline conditions to a significantly greater extent than V. Vinifera as well as most other rootstocks (Walker et al. 2000, Clingeleffer 1996).
  
  This rootstock is moderately susceptible to spring waterlogging particularly in its formative years.
  
  A rootstock suitable for hot climates where moderate to high yields are required for the production of commercial wine, however, it is also suitable for sites susceptible to drought as well as those with high salinity. It may delay ripening or cause excessive vigour on high growth potential sites in cooler regions. ‹ hide
• 110 Richter show more ›
• This rootstock has moderate vigour and a long vegetative cycle, which may delay ripening in cooler regions. As with 99 Richter it can be a slow starter in the first year as it expends its energy on root growth (Galet 1998).
  
  The root system is not as deep growing as 99 Richter, however, its resistance to drought is better. It is also moderately sensitive to salt but is more tolerant than V. vinifera. It is well suited to a range of soils from slightly acidic through to calcareous soils with active lime of up to 17%.
  
  It does well on poorly drained, shallow clay soils that can suffer from both waterlogging and drought conditions.
  
  It is moderately resistant to nematodes.
  
  Rootstock trials indicate that this rootstock produces adequate yield in a variety of situations while vine balance and fruit quality are reported to be excellent.
  
  A rootstock suitable for most situations, however, it may delay ripening or cause excessive vigour on high growth potential sites in cooler regions. ‹ hide
• 99 Richter show more ›
• This rootstock is moderate to vigorous in growth and has a deep growing strongly developed root system. In the first year after planting growth may be slow, particularly in cold soils. Whiting and Orr (1990) report it is not suited to soils that are prone to spring waterlogging.
  
  As with other rootstocks within this family it has a degree of drought tolerance, however, it is the least effective of the family. It is also moderately sensitive to salt but is more tolerant than V. vinifera. It does have good tolerance of lime.
  
  99 Richter is grown successfully in warm and cool regions and is able to perform well in acid soils. 99 Richter is susceptible to most species of nematodes.
  
  In France the use of this rootstock has been abandoned in favour of other Berlandieri X Rupestris rootstocks (Galet 1998), however, this may have been a function of its unpredictable nursery propagation results.
  
  It is interesting to note that it is the most widely planted rootstock in South Africa, accounting for 34% of plantings (Galet 1998).
  
  Provided it is planted in a site that doesn’t have any of the deleterious characteristics mentioned above it will perform well in regions with cool to hot climates, however, it may delay ripening or cause excessive vigour on high growth potential sites in cooler regions. ‹ hide
• 1103 Paulsen show more ›
• This rootstock is moderate to vigorous in growth. It has a deep growing, strongly developed root system. It is advised to be planted in soils with up to 17-18% active lime in France (Galet 1998), but local experience has shown that it also performs well in the acid soils of Eden Valley.
  
  This rootstock has good resistance to root knot nematodes in French conditions (Galet 1998) and has been used successfully in Australian nematode infested soils (Nicol et al. 1999).
  
  

  Updated information September 2008

  Recent observations in some sites within South Australia have indicated that when 1103 Paulsen is challenged by heavy infestations of root-knot nematodes (RKN) it is not performing to expectation with regard to nematode resistance.
  
  As a result, and in keeping with literature from the northern hemisphere, the tolerance rating of 1103 Paulsen to root knot nematode species has been downgraded from a rootstock with “moderate to high” root knot nematode tolerance to one with” low” tolerance.
  
  Further to this, the degree of resistance of 1103 Paulsen may be modified by field conditions e.g. soil fertility and irrigation practices, previous cropping history, clonal differences in rootstocks or variation in virulence of nematode species (Loubser and Meyer 1987, Andrew Walker pers comm). This may explain why 1103 Paulsen has been growing well in some South Australian situations where RKN is present.
  
  PGIBSA is supporting further research to examine the extent of this problem with the aim of characterising the extent to which this decline is occurring and whether it is specific to certain scion varieties.
  
  Download updated nematode resistance table.
  
  This rootstock can tolerate a degree of waterlogging, and is superior to 140 Ruggeri in this regard.
  
  It is well suited to drought conditions and has a good water use efficiency in that it can maximise yield per hectare per ML of irrigation (Pech et al. 2001).
  
  It has good tolerance to salt and is able to exclude grape juice chloride and sodium in saline conditions to a significantly greater extent than V. Vinifera (Walker et al. 2000, Clingeleffer 1996).
  
  It has performed well in terms of vine balance, yield and fruit composition in a range of situations; including the Riverland, Barossa Valley and the cooler Eden Valley. Where vigour cannot be controlled adequately with irrigation control there have been reports of excessive vigour.
  
  A rootstock suitable for most situations; however, it may delay ripening or cause excessive vigour on high growth potential sites in cooler regions. ‹ hide

V. riparia x V. rupestris

• 3309C show more ›
• This rootstock is one of the most widely planted in France and is said to advance fruit maturity and assist varieties susceptible to poor fruit set (May 2004).
  
  3309C has low to moderate vigour. It is a good rootstock for deep, well-drained cool soils that are well supplied with water, but unsuited for dry and shallow conditions and not appropriate for heavy soils. It has a deep growing, well-branched root system. It has some tolerance to lime (up to 11% active lime) and acid soils, but does not tolerate saline soils well. It has a tendency to induce potassium deficiency in overcropped young vines on clay soils. Young vines grafted to 3309C can be very nutrient-demanding.
  
  It has high resistance to phylloxera, but is susceptible to root-knot nematodes. It is resistant to crown gall and susceptible to phytophthora (Southey 1992).
  
  There is little experience in growing this variety in Australia, but it may be a good rootstock for high quality wines in specific cool climate situations. A trial block would be advisable before undertaking a large-scale planting.
  
  Sources of 3309C in Australia should be investigated for virus status, as testing in the late 1990s revealed a high incidence of leafroll virus 3 in source blocks of this variety, and many were removed. ‹ hide
• Schwarzmann show more ›
• This rootstock has moderate-low vigour like 101-14. It improves the fertility of the scion (improves fruit set) when planted in the correct environment (May 2004).
  
  It is a moderate to low-yielding rootstock in cool and warm climates; however, in the hot climate of the Riverland it is a high-yielding rootstock.
  
  It has good nematode resistance and does best on deep soils with adequate soil moisture. This rootstock does not tolerate drought conditions.
  
  Schwarzmann does not tolerate high levels of lime. On acid soils it is low to moderate-yielding and has been previously reported not to be suitable (reference). There have been examples of good results on acid soils; however, these sites may have been limed adequately to offset the effect of the low pH.
  
  Schwarzmann has been known in some cases to give high juice pH and therefore lower colour, which is associated with the uptake of potassium (Ewart et al. 1994). It has been found to be moderately tolerant to salt
  
  This rootstock appears to be suited to a wide number of applications, provided that it is planted where there is adequate water of good quality and sandy soils (it is not drought tolerant). It has good tolerance to salt and is able to exclude grape juice chloride and sodium in saline conditions to a significantly greater extent than V. vinifera (Zhang, Walker and Blackmore 2004). ‹ hide
• 101-14 show more ›
• This rootstock is used in France by growers wanting a low vigour rootstock that encourages quality and has active resistance to lime (Galet 1998). Extensive trials and commercial plantings in the Riverland show that this rootstock is of moderate-low vigour, capable of producing high yields for both red and white varieties.
  
  101-14 is well suited to cooler climates because of its short vegetative cycle and ability to advance maturity and improve the set and fertility of the scion (May 2004). The rootstock appears to be lower yielding in cooler climates, similar to Vitis vinifera.
  
  It has moderate resistance to lime and can tolerate levels of up to 9% active lime (Galet 1998), but is not suited to acid soils. 101-14 does not tolerate drought conditions but Galet (1998) reports that it does well in damp soils that dry out slowly. Whiting and Orr (1990) report that 101-14 is highly susceptible to waterlogging; although it should be noted that local experience contradicts this finding (Dry, 2005). It has good tolerance to salt and is able to exclude grape juice chloride and sodium in saline conditions to a significantly greater extent than V. vinifera (Walker et al. 2000, Clingeleffer 1996).
  
  101-14 is moderately resistant to most species of nematodes.
  
  This rootstock appears to be suited to a wide number of applications from cool climate through to hot climate, and is best planted where there is adequate water and sandy soils. ‹ hide

V. champini

• Ramsey show more ›
• Ramsey produces more fruit that any other rootstock in most situations. It produces the largest canopies with its vigorous growth. In cases where its vigour potential is not checked there can be delays or insufficient fruit maturation, excess potassium absorption and detrimental effects on wine quality.
  
  Trial results indicate that increased potassium is prevalent in red grapes grown on Ramsey (Walker et al. 1998). However, this may be a function of the vigorous canopy and excessive fruit shading which is known to increase potassium concentrations in musts (Smart et al. 1985).
  
  Similarly, Walker et al. (1998) found that anthocyanins (total and ionised) were less for Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grafted to Ramsey compared to own-rooted vines. However, the more shaded canopies of the grafted vines may have been a factor in reducing colour intensity, as total and ionised anthocyanins and phenolic concentrations are known to be negatively correlated with shading (Smart et al. 1985).
  
  It has good tolerance to salt and is able to exclude grape juice chloride and sodium in saline conditions to a significantly greater extent than V. vinifera (Walker et al. 2000, Walker et al. 1998, Clingeleffer 1996).
  
  Ramsey has excellent nematode resistance.
  
  Ramsey is able to perform well in slightly acid and calcareous soils but is not suited to soils prone to spring waterlogging.
  
  It is well suited to drought conditions and has good water use efficiency in that it can maximise yield per hectare per ML of irrigation (Pech et al. 2001).
  
  A rootstock suitable for warm to hot climates where moderate to high yields are required for the production of commercial wine, however, it is also suitable for sites with high nematode populations or susceptible to drought and salinity. It consistently outperforms most rootstocks on sandy soils in relation to yield.
  
  It is likely to delay ripening, have increased potassium uptake and reduced colour in red grapes on high growth potential sites in all regions. ‹ hide