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Clonal selection of Teran grape variety
Selection and preservation of original Istrian Teran
With the aim to preserve the original Istrian gene pool of the Teran variety and to establish a basis for production of high-quality planting material, a project of clonal selection and the establishment of a certified mother block vineyard of Teran was initiated by the Vinistra Association, titled Clonal selection and establishment of a certified mother block vineyard of Teran variety.
General information about the project:
- Project holder: Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Poreč
- Client: Association of Winegrowers and Winemakers of Istria “Vinistra”
- Project leader: Dr. Marijan Bubola (Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Poreč)
- Consultant: Prof. Ivan Pejić (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture)
Project objectives
- to select vines with superior traits of the autochthonous Istrian variety Teran in old vineyards throughout Istria, planted between 1903 and 1975, corresponding to the period before the import of planting material from other countries;
- to test selected vines for economically important viruses and propagate and plant only healthy vines in a certified mother block vineyard;
- to compare the production performance of vines (potential clonal candidates) planted under identical production conditions (in the certified mother block vineyard) and select those with the best characteristics;
- to conduct the procedure of individual clonal selection and identify and officially register several clones with superior traits, which will serve for establishing future production vineyards;
- to ensure producers’ access to the original Istrian gene pool of the Teran variety, while preventing its disappearance and preserving it for future generations.
Main motivation
In recent years old vineyards of the Teran variety, largely maintained by an older generation of small growers, have been gradually disappearing, while new plantations are often established with planting material produced in neighboring countries. This results in the loss of part of the original genetic diversity of this variety, which developed over centuries of adaptation to local conditions. It was precisely this issue that provided the main motivation for launching the Teran clonal selection project, whose goal is to preserve the identity of the original Istrian Teran.
The certified mother block vineyard is not merely a research, selection, or production facility, but a living genetic bank of original Istrian Teran. It preserves the core genetic variability of this variety, created through both human and natural selection over several centuries. This plantation represents the foundation for preserving and strengthening the identity of Istrian viticulture and provides the basis for producing top-quality wines that faithfully reflect the character of the Istrian terroir.
