Why Crossing

Author: Knut Sætrevik

Through crossing, one seeks to select traits that are advantageous in relation to the place and the conditions under which the plants are to be grown, or in relation to what the grapes are to be used for. This can be general traits such as the ability to ripen early or resistance to diseases. It can also be more special traits such as sweetness, skin color and perhaps the consistency of the grape flesh or a desire for seedless table grapes. For wine grapes on the other hand, one often desires a certain balance between content of acids/tannins and sugar so that they are suitable for winemaking. Since 2002 I have made various crosses almost every single year. I then decide which plants are to be the mother and father of the new variety (hybrid) by pollinating one variety with another. Many of the European grape types are particularly well suited for wine, but they require a warmer growing season than what they get in Norway. Then I often try to cross them with types that ripen well in open ground in Norway. If I am lucky then, a new plant from one of the crosses can arise that may be worth pursuing further. This is painstaking work, and it takes several years before one can see any result.