Grapevine nursery has in Slovenia more than a 130-year-old tradition, where grafting of the European grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) onto resistant North American rootstocks began around the year 1890, right after the grape phylloxera (Dactylosphaera vitifoliae Fitch) decimated vineyards around Europe, including Slovenian. The production of grapevine grafts experienced ups and downs prior to, during, and after the two World Wars, what was especially reflected in the amount of the produced grapevine saplings. Nowadays, grapevine nursery is based on the acquisition of grafting material from certified mother vines of various grapevine clones, which are the result of national or foreign selections. In Slovenia, the cultivation of white grapevine varieties prevail, which can be planted in all three winegrowing regions. We have 40 whites and 20 reds out of the 60 grapevine varieties. The most represented white varieties are 'Laški rizling', 'Chardonnay', 'Sauvignon' and 'Rebula', but reds are 'Refošk', 'Merlot', 'Cabernet sauvignon' and 'Žametovka'. In 2019, approx. 5.4 million of grapevine grafts were produced, out of which 1.2 million were certified grapevine grafts (blue label). The most commonly used grapevine rootstocks in Slovenia are SO4 and Kober 5BB, with a total annual rootstocka production around 5.1 million. Slovenia is self-sufficient with grapevine grafts, where a large proportion of grafts is exported. In Slovenia, we plant around 844.000 of grapevine grafts per year.
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