UNIVERSITY OF CRAIOVA

FACULTY OF HORTICULTURE








SUITABLE WINE-GROWING HABITATS FROM
EASTERN OLTENIA ROMANIA, FOR TABLE
GRAPES CROP-KINDS CULTIVATION
(Abstract)




Scientific coordinator,
Univ. prof. PhD AUREL POPA


Post-graduate
ABDEL MAJID AHMAD MOHD BISHTAWI








CRAIOVA
2005



CONTENTS

PREFACE ......5
CHAPTER I .......6
INTRODUCTION.......6
CHAPTER II ........10
THE STATE OF KNOWING THE TABLE GRAPES CULTURE .......10
2.1. Brief history of table grapes crop in Romania and The Hashemit
Kingdom of Jordan ...........10
2.2. The state of the table grapes crop researches ........14
2.2.1. The food, energetic and therapeutic value of the table grapes........14
2.2.2. The place of Romania in the world regarding the table grapes
production and of Oltenia Region inside Romania ..........14
2.2.3. The nationally and internationally state of researches about table
grapes culture, ......20
2.2.3.1. The favorability of table grapes crop habitats in Oltenia ........20
2.2.3.2. The ecological conditions for cropping .......26
2.2.3.2.1. The climate as cosmic factor ........26
2.2.3.2.2. The soil coverage, as telluric factor .....26
2.2.3.2.3. The general characterization of the ecosystems ...........29
2.2.3.2.4. The wine-growing biosystems (the couples vinifera/stock) .........34
2.2.3.2.5. The varietal explosion with new performant creations ........40
2.2.3.2.6. The diversification of the varietal assortment with the new vinifera
and stock crop-kinds ........................................ 47
2.2.3.3. Scientific manifestations of OIV having as theme The table grapes
culture (congresses, symposia) ...................59
2.2.3.4. Tendencies and orientations on table grapes crop in the world.......62
2.3. THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL VOCATION OF THE
ROMANIAN CROP-KIND VICTORIA......65
2.4. THE TABLE GRAPES CROP-KINDS CULTURAL
PARTICULARITIES IN JORDAN..........73
2.5. REFERENCE COMPENDIUM ON THE TABLE GRAPES CROP-
KINDS CULTURE IN COUNTRY AND ABROAD .........79

CHAPTER III ......90
OWN CONTRIBUTIONS .......90
3.1. MATERIAL AND METHOD ......90
3.1.1. The research objectives ......90
3.1.2. The researching method .....90
3.1.3. The researching material ........99
3.1.4. Observations, determinations, analyzes .......115
3.2. EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS ........117
3.2.1. Ecopedological general conditions of the researched areas .........117
3.2.1.1. The Danube Terraces .........117
3.2.1.2. The Oltenia sands ......120
3.2.1.3. The interference of the high plain zone with the Getic Piedmont. The
Draganesti-Olt wine-growing centre ..............123
3.2.1.4. The Getic Piedmont .......124
3.2.1.5. The Getic Subcarpathians ..........127
3.2.2. The soil and clime conditions from the researching centers within the
2002-2005 researching period ............138
3.2.2.1. The Dabuleni wine-growing center. The Central Researching Station
for sands capitalization ...................138
3.2.2.2. The Banu Maracine wine-growing center. The Didactical
Researching Station of Craiova University ........146
3.2.2.3. The Dragasani wine-growing center. The Researching Developing
Station for Wine-growing and Oenology ...........................155
3.3. RESULTS AND DISCISSIONS .....169
3.3.1. The vine plant fenology ........169
3.3.2. Comparative results on the commercial maturity accomplishment of
the table grapes in Romania and Jordan .............221
3.3.3. The vegetative growing ........223
3.3.4. The buds viability .........225
3.3.5. The shoots fertility ....... 228
3.3.6. The shoots productivity ........231
3.3.7. The global and selling production ........234
3.3.8. The physiology and the biochemistry of the vine plant .......240
3.3.9. The mechanical analysis of the grapes .........248
3.3.10. The chemical analysis of the grapes ......253
3.3.11. The wood maturation .....258
3.3.12. The delimitation of the habitats for the table grapes crop in Eastern
Oltenia ....................264

CHAPTER IV .... 280
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .....280
4.1. Final conclusions .....280
4.2. Recommendations for the wine-growing practice ...... 286

REFERENCES .......287
CONTENTS .......315
Keywords: table grapes, habitat, crop-kinds, Oltenia

ABSTRACT

GENERALITIES

The present PhD thesis having as main objective the knowing of the
behavior of table grapes crop-kinds in different ecological conditions from
the Eastern Oltenia in order to delimit the wine-growing habitats is
structured on 4 chapter as follows:
- Chapter 1, Introduction.
- Chapter 2, The state of knowing the table grapes crop
(Documentation)
- Chapter 3, Own contributions (material and method, experimental
conditions, results and discussions)
- Chapter 4, Conclusions and recommendations
The thesis is very well pictured, with 112 tables, 44 figures and 50
logical schemes. The logical scheme is a concentrated representation of an
idea and has the value of an hypertext where the affirmations from the paper
can be virtually amplified by the reader by meaning of references restitutions
by graphics or pictures.
We have introduced in the paper these logical schemes in order to use
them in my future activity in Jordan they having a great force of convincing
and meditation. I can proudly affirm that my professional activity as a
student in 1987-1991 period and as a PhD post-graduate in 2002-2005 is due
to prestigious universities from Romania The Agronomic Institute
Nicolae Balcescu from Bucharest and University of Craiova. As a Romanian
estate scholar I benefited by optimal conditions in order to unfold my studies
and the PhD Thesis.
The paper is very well documented, the references consists of 276 titles
of which I have extracted for the abstract 29 which were considered the most
important.
The thesis also comprises comparative quoting about the table grapes
crop in Oltenia Romania conditions and Jordan Valley Jordan, using
personal data as well as Romanian and Jordanian literature.
The partial results were used by publishing 4 scientific papers in The
Bucharest Agricultural and Veterinary Medicine University called The sand
and the sandy soils from Dabuleni (2004), The Annals of the University of
Craiova The behavior of the Victoria crop-kind in different slope
conditions from Dragasani (2004), The brown-reddish different eroded
soils from Banu Maracine (2005) and The behavior of several table grapes
crop-kinds at Dabuleni, Banu Maracine and Dragasani (2005).

Scientific documentation

After the economical-social importance of the table grapes is presented
and there is made a brief history of it in both countries, there is unfolded in
detail the state of national and international researches of the domain of the
thesis.
There are tackled problems like: the food, energetic and therapeutic
value of the table grapes eaten fresh or kept in refrigerated deposits; the
place of Romania in the table grapes production in the world and of Oltenia
in the country, the favorability of the table grapes habitats ( clime, soil,
wine-growing biosystems, crop-kinds variety; the scientific manifestations
as part of the International Office of the vine-crop and wine with the theme
The culture of the table grapes; tendencies and orientations overseas on
the table grapes and raisin (globalization, ecology, quality, etc.).
A special place is occupied by the Romanian crop-kind Victoria in the
Southern Romania vineyards and from the other wine-growing countries
from the Mediterranean Europe, Africa, South America and North America.
There are made considerations on the culture of the table grapes within
the temperate climate with Mediterranean influences from the Danube
Carpathic Getic space and in the subtropical climate with desert influences
from Jordan.
The scientific documentation ends with an references compendium on the
information from the specialty literature on the culture of the table grapes in
Romania and overseas belonging to the following issues:
- The old and recent history of wine-growing
- The ecopedological resources and the methodology of qualitative
bonitation of the high favorable habitats
- The relation soil-vine plant
- Biosystems and technologies.
- the presence and the national and international recognition of the
Victoria crop-kind.
- Aspects of the wine-growing in Romania and Jordan
- International scientific symposia OIV on table grapes theme
- Treaties, manuals, monografies of modern viticulture
- PhD thesis and licence papers with table grapes themes, statistics,
methodological norms, cartography (Geographical, climatic,
pedological) national and EU laws.
Romania has 13,363 ha cropped with table grapes of which Oltenia, 2, 570
ha having as recommended or authorized crop-kinds: Perla de Csaba,
Augusta, Cardinal, Victoria, Muscat dAda, Muscat de Hamburg, Coarna
neagra, Afuz Ali, Italia.
Jordan has 14,350 ha with the following crop-kinds: Cardinal, Salty
Khodary, Halawany, Alphonse Lavalle, Afuz-Ali.
The scientific papers and other law, statistical, methodological,
cartographic consulted documents in order to analyze my own results are in
the selective references from the end of the abstract.

Material and method

The experimental locations from the researching web within the
Eastern Oltenia were different from one to another due to the specific
conditions from the plantations.
The experimental site from SCCVN Dabuleni, located on the sandies
and the sandy soils from Southern Oltenia comprised 4 variants with the
following crop-kinds: Muscat Perla de Csaba, Muscat timpuriu de Bucuresti,
Victoria and Afuz-Ali.
The experimental site from Banu Maracine, located in the hilly zone
of the Getic Plateau on brown-reddish soil had 5 variants with: Regina viilor,
Victoria, Chasselas Dore, Muscat de Hamburg and Afuz-Ali.
The experimental site from Dragasani, located in the hilly zone of the
Getic Plateau had 10 variants as follows: Muscat Perla de Csaba, Calina,
Sultanina, Chasselas dore, Muscat de Hamburg, Coarna neagra, Afuz-Ali
and Victoria, located at the base, middle and the top of the slope.
The varietal disposal was made, with all experimental locations using
the randomized blocks method with 4 replications, each variant having 12-
20 vine plants.
As it can be noticed, only the Victoria and Afuz-Ali crop-kinds were
present in all locations in this manner we could made bifactorial
interpretations. The Victoria crop-kind from Dragasani allowed the
researching of its behavior after altitude.
In the field, the determinations and observations were made with 8-10
vine plants from each crop-kind.
The vinifera crop-kinds were grafted on Berlandieri x Riparia Kober 5
BB stock.
The field observations and determinations as well as the laboratory
analyses for soil, vegetal material and grapes were made using the approved
methodology.
The researches have followed the next objectives:
- the elaboration of the local and the ecological and geographical
varietal conveyer from the Eastern Oltenia
- the delimitation of the qualitative vocation habitats from the wine
growing centres of Dabuleni, Banu Maracine and Dragasani and
looking for similitude between Oltenia-Romania and Jordania
regarding the table grapes crop.
The multicriterial delimitation methodology as an ecological concept for the
high quality table grape crop was made after the methods elaborated by
Condei, Ciolacu, Sieculescu, 2004 on: The elaboration of the conceptual
pattern, the establishing of the global vocation bonitation mark and of the
specific nomogram and the cartographic and cadastral delimitation on the
Dragasani Station place in the plots of Victoria and Calina crop-kinds.
The pruning system was mixt, with 24-28 buds/plant, the growing
system high head, the mechanical system of tillages were applied with all
experimental locations.

THE RESEARCHING CONDITIONS

The researching conditions within the experimental period on clime
and soil were interpreted on the background of knowing the ecological
conditions of table grapes crop that exists in the Southern Oltenia: The
Danube terraces (Bechet Zimnicea), the sands and the sandy soils from the
Left Side of the River Jiu (Sadova Dabuleni), The high Plain of
interference with the low slopes (Segarcea) and Getic Piedmont (Draganesti-
Olt, Banu Maracine, Teslui-Slatina, Dragasani, Jiblea Calimanesti) all of
them located within the Danube-Carpathic Getic space, with the known
altitudinal and latitudinal variation of the soil and clime conditions. The
researched soils are encountered from the terrace chernozems and the
psamosoils from South and continuing with the brown-reddish and typical
brown soils from middle and the brown acid soils from submontain zone
from North.
The heliothermic regime diminishes from South to North while the
rainfall increases from Danube to Calimanesti.
The soil and clime conditions from the researching locations in 2003-
2004 wine-growing year, the most representative of the researching period is
presented below.
At Dabuleni, the annual average temperature was of 11.4C,
oscillating between -17.3C (the absolute minimum) and 37.0C (the
absolute maximum), 2,170.3 hours of sunshine and 555 mm rainfall. The
soil type from the plots: typical psamosoil (dune, interdune and leveled-
modulated).
At Banu Maracine, the annual average temperature was of 10.9C,
oscillating between -16.1C (the absolute minimum) and 36.4C (the
absolute maximum), 2,297.7 hours of sunshine and 552.5 mm rainfall. The
soil type from the plots: brown-reddish different eroded.
At Dragasani, the annual average temperature was of 11.3C,
oscillating between -16.0C (the absolute minimum) and 34.7C (the
absolute maximum), 2,198.1 hours of sunshine and 624.5 mm rainfall. The
soil type from the plots: typical brown eumezobasic or pseudorendzinic on
slopes.
The comparative climatology researches between the wine-growing
centers Tamburesti and Dragasani (Eastern Oltenia-Romania) and the wine-
growing centers Deir Alla and Wadi Dhulail (Western Jordan) have found
major differences of the thermic and hidric regime due to the geographic
location (30-32 lat N in N-W Jordan and 44-45 lat N in Oltenia) and to
different climates (temperate climate with mediterranean influence in
Oltenia and subtropical climate with desert influence in Jordan). The annual
thermic regime was between 10.7C 11.1 C in Oltenia Romania and
between 17.6C 23.6C in NW Jordan. The rainfall regime was between
578-603 mm in Oltenia Romania and between 147-286 mm in NW Jordan.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The fenology, the vigor of the vine plants, the viability of the buds, the
fertility and the productivity of the vine plants the qualitative and
quantitative level of the grapes yield (global and selling), the intensity of the
physiological-biochemical processes (the mineral nutrition, the accumulation
of the dry substance, the biosynthesis of the carbohydrates and organic
acids) the ripping of the grapes and of the annual wood have highly varied
among the experimental sites.
The climatically elements have obviously influenced the unfolding of
the vegetation phases in the 3 researching centers.
At Dabuleni, in 2004 the beginning of the vegetation has taken place
earlier than in the other researching centers, the highest difference being in
comparison with Dragasani.
The buds unfolding with the Victoria crop-kind was recorded at
Dabuleni on 11 April, at Banu Maracine on 15 April and at Dragasani on 20
April.
The buds unfolding with the Afuz-Ali crop-kind was recorded at
Dabuleni on 15 April, at Banu Maracine on 18 April and at Dragasani on 27
April.
The vine-plants vigor, expressed as dry substance accumulated on
vine plant by the annual organs was maximal at Banu Maracine and minimal
at Dragasani for the Victoria crop-kind.
The buds viability expressed by the viable buds percent on vine plant
when pruning in the spring was maximal at Dragasani (92.0%) and minimal
at Dabuleni (80.9%) for the Victoria crop-kind.
The shoots fertility expressed by the relative fertility coefficient was
maximal at Dragasani (1.23%) and minimal at Dabuleni (0.5%) for the
Victoria crop-kind.
The vine plant productivity expressed by the relative productivity
indicator was maximal at Dragasani (535) and minimal at Dabuleni(165) for
the Victoria crop-kind.
The global and selling yield on vine plant was maximal at Dragasani
(7.440 kg/vine plant) and minimal at Dabuleni (4.340 kg/ vine plant) for the
Victoria crop-kind. There was emphasized the well and very well behavior
of the Victoria crop-kind in all researching centers.
Within the researching period, the Victoria crop-kind have used
plentifully the conditions from the Dragasani wine-growing center which
have made a selling yield of 90-95% and a high profit on hectare. A good
behavior have had the Calina and Chasselas dore crop-kinds. At Banu
Maracine there were recorded good yields with the Afuz-Ali, Muscat de
Hamburg, and Chasselas dore crop-kinds. At Dabuleni, the best behavior
have had the Muscat Perla de Csaba and Muscat timpuriu de Bucuresti.
The multicriterial delimitation of the habitats in order to get high
quality table grapes with Victoria and Calina crop-kinds was done at
Dragasani using the method elaborated by Condei, Ciolacu, Seiculescu,
(2004).
Using the previous yield results, the leading locations in obtaining
quality table grapes exported (Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and
others) and sold within the country were: Dabuleni, Sadova, Banu Maracine
in Dolj District, Draganesti-Olt, Maruntei, Dobrosloveni, Cezieni, Teslui,
Curtisoara in Olt District and Dragasani, Sutesti, Prundeni, Stefanesti,
Gusoeni, Bugiulesti in Valcea District.
The varietal conveyer diversity within the researched centers, by
introduction of the new, better crop-kinds that were obtained in country and
abroad (Italy, Greece, USA, Argentina, Jordan) is highly imposed in order to
avoid the limitation of the crop-kind variety and overcoming of the varietal
conveyer.

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

After the researching activity within the 2003-2005 period on the crop
habitats of the vine crop-kinds in Eastern Oltenia, there resulted the
following ecological, methodological, varietal and technological conclusions
and even few recommendations.
1. The Dabuleni wine-growing center record the most favorable
heliothermic conditions for the table grapes crop from the earliest to
tardy. The useful temperatures within the vegetation period were of
2,056 C and 1,720 hours of sunshine. The duration of the vegetation
period have varied between 198-200 days. The rainfall was 353 mm,
the water deficit being completed by irrigation.
2. The Banu Maracine wine-growing center has recorded within the
vegetation period 1,767C of useful temperature and 1,804 hors of
sunshine. The duration of the vegetation period was of 185-190 days.
The rainfall was 441 mm.
3. The Dragasani wine-growing center has recorded 1,739 C of useful
temperature and 1,483 hours of sunshine. The duration of the
vegetation period was of 190-195 days. The rainfall was 478 mm.
4. The predominant soils: The typical psamosoils and the different
solificated ones from Dabuleni, the brown-reddish different eroded
from Banu Maracine and the eumezobasic brown soils, brown
pseudorendzinic, brown clayilluviated soils from Dragasani have
favorable influenced, along with the clime, the growing and
fructification processes of the table grape crop-kinds.
5. The ecological conditions from the researching centers have
differently influenced the vigor, the fructification and the quality of
the researched crop-kinds. At Dabuleni they were favorable to the
earliest and early crop-kinds in order to hurry the grapes ripening yet
less favorable for their commercial aspect. At Banu Maracine, the
best behavior was recorded with the Afuz-Ali crop-kind. At
Dragasani, the Victoria crop-kind has had an exceptionally behavior
as well as in Southern Romania vineyards (Greaca, Ostrov,
Zimnicea).
6. The phazes and the fenological stages of the annual cycle of the vine
plant have unfolded under the direct influence of the thermic regime,
sunshine and rainfall. Weather the vegetative-quantitative processes
are influenced by the hydrothermic coefficient, the qualitative and
maturation processes as well as those of fructification buds formation
are influenced by the heliothermic coefficient.
7. At Dabuleni, the ripening of the Victoria crop-kind table grapes was
recorded 11 days before Banu Maracine and 20 days before
Dragasani.
8. The Hashemit Kingdom of Jordan has, within the Amman, Jerash,
Irbid etc. regions, very favorable conditions for table grapes cropping
from the earliest to the tardy, with the condition of optimizing the
ecological factors by rational applying of irrigation.


RECOMMENDATIONS

1. The narrow delimitation of the high quality table grapes crop habitats
within the all wine-growing centers from Oltenia, located in the very
favorable and favorable cropping areas (The Danube terraces from
Drobeta Tr. Severin to Zimnicea, the sandy improved soils (irrigation,
water logging prevention, protection forests), the sunny slopes of the
Getic Piedmont (Banu Maracine, Draganesti-Olt, Dragasani).
2. The exceptionally results of the Victoria crop-kind in the Southern
Romania yet in other wine growing countries with tradition and
Mediterranean climate recommend the cropping research of it in
Jordan too in order to establish its habitats and the suitable
technology.
3. The initiating of a Romanian-Jordanian bilateral program of scientific
collaboration and technological transfer in the table grapes crop,
which to enhance the exchange of performant crop-kinds and of the
technological steps in the benefit of both countries.

SELECTIVE REFERENCES



1. Alhmud M. 1987/1988 (Jordan)NCARTT
2. Abdel Majid A.M. Bishtawi, Popa A., 2004 (Bucharest)
3. Abdel Majid A.M. Bishtawi, Popa A., 2004 (Craiova)
4. Abdel Majid A.M. Bishtawi, Popa A., 2005 (Craiova)
5. Abdel Majid A.M. Bishtawi, Popa A., 2005 (Craiova)
6. Colapietra M. and colab., 1997
7. Condei Gh., Ciolacu M., Seiculescu M., 2004
8. Condei Gh., Lepadatau Victoria, Popa Daniela, 2004.
9. Constanitinescu Gherasim and colab. 1978.
10. Fregoni M., 1998.
11. Ionica Mira, Olteanu I., 2004.
12. Larsen F.E., Wir A., Al., 1976 (Jordan)
13. Martin T. and colab., 1974.
14. Olteanu I. and colab., 2002.
15. Oslobeanu M., and colab. 1991
16. Popescu C., Vasile D., 2003.
17. Ratoi I., 1996.
18. Teodorescu C.O., 1964.
19. Teodorescu St. and colab, 1987.
20. Yousif K.A., 1996 (Jordan).
21. *** FAO / WFP, 1999 Crop and food (Jordan).
22. *** The national center for agricultural research and technological
transfer (Jordan).1976/1977-1987/1988
23. *** 1975 Memento de L OIV, Paris.
24. *** 2000 Department of Meteorological Climate Division (Jordan).
25. *** 1961 The Meteorological Institute. The Climate of Romania
26. *** 1982 The Romanian Geographical Encyclopedia.
27. *** 1996, 1998 The market of grapes and wines (Romania).
28. *** 2002 The law 244 of wine and vine.
29.***http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/economic/giews/alertes/
1999/SRJOR996/html