Fruit-, vine-growing and wine production

The research program of the program group „FRUIT-, VINE-GROWING AND WINE PRODUCTION“ covers the following fields: - Research of growth and development physiology of fruit plants and grapevine with special emphasis to effect of plant hormones and photosynthesis efficiency as well as their influence on the quantity and quality of yield. - Research of mechanisms of fruitlet formation and natural and induced fruit thinning in dependence on variety, rootstock, training, canopy light interception and other agrotechnical measures in order to prevent variations in quantity and quality of yield of fruit plants and grapevine. - Collection (gene banks), study of technological value, ampelographic and pomologic descriptions and conservation of genetic richness in fruit plants and grapevine. - Research and introduction of new methods of genetic and sanitary selection (laboratory tests, indexation), selection of healthy elite plants and breeding of new domestic varieties and clones of fruit plants and grapevine. - Research of analytical methods required for protection of genuineness and quality of Slovene vines from abuse by creating standards which document the variety and origin of wine – (determination of ratio between elements in the ethanol molecule using NMR method). - Conservation and modernisation of traditional production methods of Slovene wines from old autochthonous wine Slovene varieties and new clones of wine varieties from Slovene selections. - Development of technological methods of grape processing and wine care which will preserve the typicalness of Slovene wines along with the use of lesser quantities of physical and chemical stabilisation procedures. - Research of the influence of soil on the character of major Slovene varietal and blended wines. - Co-operation with related foreign research institutions and participation in common international research projects in these fields.