Submitting odd vines
When you submit a vine to the OddVine website, the photo alongside information such as variety, clone, and GPS location is automatically added to the New Zealand OddVine database. BRI’s Grapevine Improvement team routinely assess records that are being submitted from around the country.
“Often submitted vines are displaying traits that make the vine appear less suitable for winemaking”, says Principal Scientist Darrell Lizamore. “This doesn’t mean it’s a waste, we want anything odd – even unappealing traits can be useful for training our genetic selection. In cases where it might be the result of a disease or a nutritional deficiency, our team can then notify the person who submitted the photo so they can address the issue.”
As she drives up to the main entrance of the vineyard Carla points to another vine. “I thought this vine was showing signs of trunk disease”, she says. “But it’s looked like that for three years now and hasn’t fallen to one side like I expected.” The vine’s foliage is lush despite some colouring on the leaves. She says she plans to submit it to OddVine soon.
If a submitted vine is particularly unusual or may be of value, the Grapevine Improvement team request a cutting so it can be grown under controlled conditions, observed, and genetically sequenced to validate the vine as a novel clone.
