From: riburr@shentel.net   
      
   Macabre of Auchterloonie wrote:   
   > riburr wrote:   
   >> Macabre of Auchterloonie wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>> Does that wild vine have usable grapes? If so, in season, might you be   
   >>> able to (Shhhhh! A nonny-mousely) slip me some seeds?   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> Since these wild grape vines from the Colonies were what introduced   
   >> phylloxera (an insect that feeds on the roots) into the vineyards in   
   >> Europe, resulting in wide-spread devastation, I suspect rules for   
   >> import are rather strict. But, who's to know?   
   >   
   > True, but the insect is unlikely to infest seeds - only the roots, I'd   
   > guess.   
   >   
   > Most grape viness now are sold on wild grape stocks.   
   >   
   Grape rootstock is descended from wild grapes, true.  But as much   
   viticultural science has gone into the development of various rootstock   
   as has gone into development of fruit-bearing grafted vines.  Also,   
   grafted vines from nurseries are usually certified to be disease and   
   pest free.   
      
   There are also bacteria and viruses that may be harbored within the   
   seeds.  I did find tomato ringspot nepovirus can be spread by seed, and   
   this virus was suspected to have infected parts of the vineyard where I   
   use to work.  I would be concerned about transmission of tomato ringspot   
   and tobacco ringspot viruses by seed.   
      
   I apprenticed under a German winemaker who studied at Geisenheim,   
   Germany.  Soon after moving to the U.S. he tried experiments with   
   grafting onto wild grape vine roots he found here in Virginia.  He   
   admitted to me his experiments were particularly unsuccessful.  Now, he   
   has a grape nursery business in California, and I believe he is a   
   distributor for some of the cultivars developed at Geisenheim.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)