🌿 PIWI grape varieties
New varieties resistant to fungal diseases that need fewer sprayings.
PIWI grape varieties are new varieties that resist fungal diseases better. The name comes from the German word Pilzwiderstandsfähig, meaning “fungus-resistant”. They were bred by crossing ordinary European grapes with American and Asian species that have natural protection.
The main enemies of grapes are fungal diseases: downy mildew and powdery mildew. To fight them, growers spray the vines with fungicides many times in a season. PIWI varieties have the protection built in, so far less spraying is needed: sometimes two or three times, sometimes hardly at all.
This saves time and money and reduces the load on nature. Resistant varieties suit farms that want to use fewer chemicals. They belong to hybrid grapes.
The taste of such wines used to be unusual, but modern varieties make clean, pleasant wines. Not all countries allow their use in wine with a protected name. PIWI varieties are linked to sustainable viticulture.
Links
- Next step
- 🦠 Downy mildew, 🦠 Powdery mildew (oidium)
- Previous step
- 🌿 Fungicide
- Part of
- 🌿 Hybrid grape
Frequently asked questions
What are PIWI varieties?
New grape varieties resistant to fungal diseases such as downy and powdery mildew.
Why are resistant varieties useful?
They need far less spraying, which saves labour and eases the load on nature.
How are PIWI varieties produced?
By crossing European grapes with species that have natural resistance.
Similar
🌿 Vitis amurensis · 🌿 Oceanic climate · 🌿 Sulphur dusting · 🌿 Bordeaux mixture · 🌿 Vitis labrusca · 🌿 Hybrid grape