Influence of Substrate pH on Root Growth, Biomass and Leaf Mineral Contents of Grapevine Rootstocks Grown in Pots

The present study was carried out in order to test the effect of grapevine rootstocks root growth on biomass and leaf nutrition status in extreme soil conditions. Own rooted cuttings of rootstocks Fercal, Teleki Kober 5BB, Georgikon 28 and four new rootstock hybrids from the breeding program of Georgikon Faculty, Hungary (FB01, JB01, Zamor 17 and SZF10) were grown 3 months in pots. The 5 L pots were filled with a layer of gravel, high lime content Rendzina soil (pH 8.54) topped with a layer of peatsoil mixture (pH 4.94). The biomass production, shoot, leaf and root development largely depended on the rootstocks genotype. The differences among studied rootstocks were significant under low pH. Correlation was found between the root dry weight and the aboveground parts. The ratio between them was strongly influenced by rootstocks genotype. Rootstocks had strong influence on leaf nutrient status.