Department of Grapevine Breeding

A Key to Addressing the Challenges of Climate Change

Plant breeding can provide sustainable, eco-friendly and inexpensive solutions to problems such as site adaptation or pest control.  Grapevine breeding is thus one of the key criteria in tackling the challenges of climate change and in ensuring sustainable, healthy production. Our work focuses on the breeding of new rootstocks and better clones of traditional German varieties. The objective of clonal selection is to preserve the health and performance of the plant material, as well as to discover and develop new types with superior traits. When cross-breeding rootstocks, the aim is to achieve complete Phylloxera resistance in leaves and roots, in combination with horticultural characteristics such as good graft compatibility, good site adaptation and a positive effect on the grapes of the scion variety. In order to investigate these issues, we conduct experiments in virtually all of Germany's wine-producing areas. For its breeding activities, the department has over eleven hectares of land at Geisenheim dedicated to trials and propagation, an experimental wine cellar and laboratory facilities for in vitro propagation, ELISA and molecular biological analysis. The department works closely together with German and international research institutes, vine propagators and winemakers. In recent years we have increasingly concentrated on the preservation and utilization of the genetic diversity of wild species and traditional German grapevine varieties.

 

Head of Department

Kai Peter Voss-Fels
Prof. Dr. Kai Peter Voss-Fels
Building 6401
Room 2
Phone +49 6722 502 126
Kai.Voss-Fels(at)hs-gm.de Details

Deputy Head of Department

Elvira Bleser
Dr. Elvira Bleser
Building 6301
Room 1
Phone +49 6722 502 139
Elvira.Bleser(at)hs-gm.de Details

Department Assistant

Angelika Kohmann
Angelika Kohmann
Building 6401
Room 1
Phone +49 6722 502 121
Angelika.Kohmann(at)hs-gm.de Details

Department Assistant

Martina Meißner-Link
Martina Meißner-Link
Building 6401
Room 1
Phone +49 6722 502 121
Martina.MeissnerLink(at)hs-gm.de Details


Contact

 

 

Eibinger Weg 1

65366 Geisenheim