Field Day on disease-resistant wine grapes takes place this Wednesday, 10

The Epagri Experimental Station in Videira will hold this Wednesday, 10th, a Field Day on Piwi grape varieties, which are resistant to diseases. The event takes place from 14pm, in the experimental area of ​​the Station, which is on the Campina Bela Line. The audience is expected to be over 100 people, as producers and technicians from Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul have already expressed interest in participating. No registration is required to participate in Field Day. 

The manager of the Epagri Experimental Station in Videira and project researcher, André Luiz Kulkamp de Souza, explains that Piwi is derived from the German term “pilzwiderstandsfähigen”, which means resistant to fungal diseases. The term characterizes a group of grape varieties obtained in recent years via genetic improvement, originating from crossings of wine varieties with wild species. The objective is to bring together in a single plant the quality of vinifera and resistance to wild-type disease, allowing the production of fine wines with less cost and reduced environmental impacts.

The Field Day will focus on the Calardis Blanc and Felicia varieties, which are the first two recommended by Epagri for cultivation in Santa Catarina and are in the nursery for seedling production. Participants go to the field to visit the crops and receive information about phytosanitary and harvest management. They will also learn about Epagri's genetic improvement work and will be able to taste the wines produced from Piwi grapes. The event must end at 17pm.