Fercal

Origin: France (R. Pouget – INRA Bordeaux – 1959).

VEGETATIVE FEATURES

Leaf: medium-to-large, wedge-shaped, whole, with a large U-V shaped petiolar sinus; the upper side is hairless, bullous, arachnoid, the lower side is bristly, with a green-colored flap, cup-shaped, convoluted, thick.

Woody shoot: long, uniform, branched, with a prominent development of secondary shoots, ribbed, striated, arachnoid, gray-brown colored; it is prone to form bark fissures like 1103 P.

CULTURAL APTITUDES

Ability to promote fruit setting:

excellent

Root system regeneration:

good

Adaptability to soil type:

compact: good
wet: acceptable
dry: good
stony: good
acidic: acceptable
saline: sensitive
calcareous: excellent
superficial: poor

Branching pattern of the roots:

expanded

Tendency to emission of suckers:

poor

Susceptibility to deficiencies or excesses:

deficiency of K: sensitive
deficiency of Mg: very sensitive
deficiency of Zn: sensitive
deficiency of P: senstive
deficiency of Mn: sensitive
deficiency of Fe: low sensitivity

Resistance to root phylloxera:

high

Resistance to leaf phylloxera:

good

Susceptibility to fungal and plant diseases:

downy mildew: sensitive
powdery mildew: sensitive
botrytis: sensitive
anthracnose: low
eutypa disease: it induces sensitivity
rachis desiccation: it induces sensitivity
phomopsis cane and leaf spot: sensitive
esca disease: very sensitive

OTHER INFORMATION

Behavior in the nursery: the rooting is good in combination with most grape varieties; it induces a good development to the scion; it benefits from mulching and hormone treatments.

Behavior in the propagation block: it doesn’t show any difficulties when grown on trellis, so long as the number of green pruning operations is reduced, otherwise it tends to delay the lignification; it is not advisable to breed it sprawling on the ground in cool-temperate environments.

Behavior in the open field: it induces good vigor to the scion; it tends to hasten the ripening process; magnesium absorption is difficult; it requires deep, not sandy soils; it favors rachis desiccation.