Blanc Du Bois Pedigree

The Pixiola has an interesting story.  The following is from Loren Stover's 'Breeding has produced better grapes for Florida' (Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series, No. 21.)

"The Magruder brothers had found a wild, white, sweet, vigorous and prolific vine of V. Simpsoni (l.) in the woods near Leesburg. They called this to the attention of Mr. K. W. Loucks.  Our stocks of it were lost when he left the Leesburg laboratory, but it was collected again in 1943 and added to the collection at Whitney in the form of a nurse graft on Beacon roots.  Today this vine has developed its own roots and is in excellent condition.  The trunk is three inches in diameter, and the cane growth spans sixty feet.  For convenience we have called this vine Pixiola.  The original vine was observed to be very vigorous and was relatively free of grape diseases; consequently it has been used extensively in the controlled breeding program."

JA Mortensen adds in his monograph on 'Blanc Du Bois, A Florida Bunch Grape for Wine':

"Blanc DuBois was one of 19 segregants from a 1968 cross between Florida D6-148 and Cardinal.  Florida D6-148 was a PD resistant selection with purple fruit selected from 95 seedlings of a self-pollination of Florida A4-23."

Mortensen, J.A. 1987. Blanc Du Bois: A Florida Bunch Grape for White Wine. Agricultural Experiment Station, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville. Cir. S-340.

The Munson-Mortensen-Blanc DuBois link

TV Munson passed away in 1913.  His son, Bill Munson, passed away around 1925 (still looking for the material I read some time ago on this). In the early 30s, around the time prohibition was repealed, the Munson family (TV Munson's son's widow?)  donated the grape stock to Texas A&M, who moved it from Denison to the Winter Garden Experimental Station south west of San Antonio.

The station was run by Ernest Mortensen who continued grape breeding experiments from the early 30s to the late 40s.  During this time, he made progress towards the goal of a popular table or wine grape tolerant to the endemic grape diseases common to Texas: cotton root rot and Pierce's disease, but did not produce a commercially successful vine for the south Texas grower.  Around 1950, he seems to have retired and left the Experimental Station.  In 1951, Rio Grande Valley farmers decided, on their own, to plant Thompson Seedless at 5 large farms in the valley.  This turned out to be a complete disaster, as anyone with much knowledge of grapes could have predicted.  Unfortunately, Texas A&M took the brunt of industry criticism, and abandoned work on grape breeding.  In the early 60s, the Munson collection at the Experimental Station was bulldozed.

Fortunately, Ernest's son, who had grown up with both Munson vines and his father's grape breeding experiments, escaped first to Cornell and then to the University of Florida, where at the Leesburg, FL experimental station, he continued grape breeding efforts with Loren Stover.  In 1968, he performed the cross that would become 'Blanc Dubois'.  Blanc Dubois would eventually prove his father's vision was correct and  it is now widely grown in Texas.  Oddly enough, though bred in Florida, Blanc DuBois seems to produce the best wine when grown in Texas.

To provide some sense of the time required for a new grape variety to become commercially popular, let's follow the Blanc DuBois story.  The cross creating the variety was done in 1968.  The first fruit appeared in 1973.  In 1974, it was selected for further testing by Robert Bates, a professor of food processing at UF, and seems to have gone to the Lafayette Vineyard, not far from Leesburg, for field testing.  In 1986, it won prizes in international wine competition and was finally released to the public in 1987.  Mortensen retired from the University of Florida in 1991.

“Our original objective wasn’t to breed a grape for wine,” Mortensen said. “We were making a bunch grape for fresh eating that would ripen early and was disease resistant.”

There are 27 years between J.A. Mortensen's initial breeding efforts in 1960, and the 1987 release of Blanc DuBois.  One needs a very long perspective to participate in something like this.

Most of this story if from a master's thesis by Eric Sanchez titled "Forked Tendrils: Llano Estacado Winery and the Rise of the Modern Texas Wine Industry' (1996).   I'll quote it in length.

Texas A&M University Research

Texas A&M University was the first government institution to begin
research on grapes in Texas and on the South Plains. After the United States
government repealed the Eighteenth Amendment in December of 1933,
renewed interest in grape cultivation appeared. Funding for grape research
was limited and in the early 1930's, the Munson family turned over all of its
grape variety stocks to Texas A&M. Supported by federal and state funding,
researchers at Texas A&M's Extension Service began to conduct experiments
throughout the state, exploring whether or not a grape industry could
develop.32 Throughout the state of Texas, Texas A&M bmlt several
experiment stations. Of greatest importance to this discussion, Texas A&M
helped to build one on the South Plains and established another in Southeast
Texas.

Located on the Texas South Plains and built in 1909, Experimental
Sub-Station Number Eight began research efforts poised to develop
alternative-crop usage for West Texas farmers. The original site was in East
Lubbock, north from 19th street and inside the current Loop 289.
Researchers at the substation looked at every possible crop alternative on the
Texas South Plains, including grape cultivation. Records indicate that
investigators were trying to develop alternative crop uses of land on the South Plains and seeking to alleviate the dominance and high water needs of cotton and grain. 33

However, in 1937 Texas A&M dropped its research efforts for
alternative-crop usage in Lubbock and began focusing on improved cotton and
grain production. William N. Lipe, a former researcher at the Texas
Agricultural Extension Station in Lubbock, Texas, gave the following reason:
"I guess Texas A&M had decided that the program had lived out it usefulness,
based largely on the fact that growers at the time were satisfied with growing
cotton and grain products."34 Texas A&M did not renew its interest with
grape experiments on the South Plains until 1968.

In the early 1930s, horticulturist Ernest Mortensen became one of the
first individuals to foster applicable wine grape research in Texas. Texas
wine historian Sarah Jane English writes, "[a] highly intelligent man,
Mortensen grew up in an agricultural environment. After receiving a master's
degree from Texas A&M, he developed the Texas A&M Winter Garden
Research Center, in Southeast Texas, near Crystal City."35 Using Munson's
donated Vitis and hybrid varieties, Mortensen tried to hybridize disease resistant, native Vitis rootstock. He discovered several cultivars and
rootstocks which were resistant to indigenous diseases and pests, specifically
insects and nematodes.

English continues, "Mortensen selected healthy vines
from the wild throughout South Texas, recognizing the importance of
developing native roots. The LaPryor rootstock was the product of his work."36
Unfortunately, the cultivars with which Mortensen experimented
lacked acceptable fruit quality for wine production. Mortensen tried to produce V. vinifera cultivars on its own roots (self-rooted), but he failed.
Cotton rootrot and Pierce's disease eventuality terminated his efforts.3''

After working at Winter Garden Research Center for twenty-two years,
Mortensen left Crystal City in 1952. According to English, "Mortensen was
well on his way to making Texas a leader in viticulture research and grape
production. But in the early 1960s, a change in government priorities led to
bulldozing the grapes, ending the program."38

During the period 1937 to 1968, there were two reasons for the absence
of research on grape cultivation. English cites them both. First, the dismal
results of attempts to grow Thompson seedless grapes in South Texas
contributed. "In the 1950's, several South Texas farmers planted Thompson
seedless, a vinifera, for the early U.S. table grape market. They formed the
Lower Rio Grande Valley Grape Growers Association, and at least five large
vineyards were planted. "39

The South Texas vineyards died from three
afflictions: freeze or frost damage, cotton rootrot, and Pierce's disease. In the late 1950's, the afflictions eliminated the table grape industry in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. English cites in her book the following:
All the major horticulturists in the state were aware of this, and
it had a great deal to do with the philosophy toward grape
growing in Texas. Extension Service horticulturist Bluefford
Hancock and Professor Fred R. Brison did not want to lead
people in the wrong direction agriculturally. Based on failed
vineyards, they couldn't recommend commercial grapes to
farmers. 40

The second reason for the decline in grape research was the absence of
research proposals. The only other research conducted on grapes was by Uiel
Randolph, at the Fruit Investigation Laboratory, in Montague, Texas. 4i ^
George McEachern, as quoted by English, stated "Randolph did an
outstanding job between 1942 and 1962 and had an outstanding grape
research program. In 1962, Texas A&M decided to discontinue its research on
grapes because in the later years there were very few requests for grape
information. This was also following the South Texas table grape failure."^2

Sporadic planting of table and wine grapes, which often met with
failure, characterized the status of the wine-grape industry in Texas before
1960. Frequently, many farmers were ignorant of the complexity of grape
culture and the time needed to produce a healthy crop, a problem that existed
in the 1950s. The absence of quality research in terms of scope, inherent
climatic problems, and availability of continued governmental funding plagued the industry and political events such as the Eighteenth Amendment
severely hindered further research—even after the amendment's repeal in
1933. It was not until thirty years later, when a major expansion of wine
interest began farther west, that a viable modern wine-grape and wine
industry emerged in Texas and began to make serious efforts."

Circa 1976 list of grape varieties grown in Texas

The following is list of grape varieties grown in Texas, published around 1976 in Texas Fruit and Nut Varieties, by M. L. "Marty" Baker, Extension Horticulturist

AMERICAN GRAPES
Lenoir (Black Spanish) is a small, black grape which forms long, open clusters. The vine is vigorous and produces moderate crops. Lenoir is susceptible of leaf and fruit diseases and must be sprayed regularly. It is resistant to Pierce's Disease and can be grown on the Texas Gulf Coast. Lenoir has been reported as an outstanding variety in Texas since 1889.
Herbemont is a very small, brownish-red grape which forms a small, compact cluster. The vine is very vigorous, productive and tolerant of extreme hot and cold. Herbemont vines are Pierce's Disease-resistant and have a history of strong health and long life in south Texas. G. Onderdonk of Victoria County considered Heremont his best variety in 1889. Herbemont grapes produce a very sweet juice which is excellent for fermenting.
Champanel is a large, black grape which forms a relatively large, loose cluster. The vine is very vigorous and very tolerant of heat and drought. Champanel grows well in alkaline and black soils, so it is adapted to areas of North Central Texas which can produce no other variety. Champanel is an excellent grape arbor variety.
Favorite is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium-sized, compact clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous and very productive. Favorite was discovered as a seedling of Black Spanish in Brenham, Texas. It is very similar to Black Spanish but has higher quality fruit.
Ellen Scott is a large, purplish grape which forms large, even-shouldered clusters. The vine is vigorous, moderately productive and the fruit has high quality.
Beacon is a large, black grape which forms large, moderately compact clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous, very productive and well adapted to Central Texas.
Carman is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium to large, compact clusters. The vine is vigorous and resistant to insects and disease. At one time Carman was the most widely grown variety in North Texas. This was due to its vigor, hardiness, and fruitfulness. It is the highest yielding variety grown in Montague County.
Fredonia is a large, black grape which forms large, compact clusters. The vine is hardy and vigorous. Fredonia is very similar to Concord, but does not have uneven ripening.
Golden Muscat is a large, white grape which forms large, loose clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous and very productive. Golden Muscat is an excellent table grape variety, and is well adapted to North Central Texas.

FRENCH, VITUS VINIFERA, GRAPES
Thompson Seedless is a white grape which forms large, long clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.
French Colombard is a medium-sized, white grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vine is very vigorous with dense foliage.
Emerald Riesling is a medium-sized, yellowish grape which forms large, long clusters. The vines are vigorous.
Chenin Blanc is a medium-sized, white grape which forms large, compact, clonical clusters. The Vines are vigorous.
Barbera is a medium-sized, black grape which forms medium-sized, short clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous and form relatively small canes.
Ruby Cabernet is a medium-sized, black, round grape which forms medium-sized, long clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.
Petite Sirah is a medium-sized, black, round grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vine is moderately vigorous.

FRENCH-AMERICAN HYBRID GRAPES
Seibel 9110 (Verdelet) is a medium-sized, yellow grape which forms large, moderately compact clusters. The vines are productive, vigorous, hardy and disease resistant. The berry is semi-seedless, with an edible rudimentary seedcoat but no true seeds. Seibel 9110 has produced very well in North and South Central Texas, and is a strongly recommended variety.
Seyve-Villard 12-375 (Villard blanc) is a medium-sized, white grape which forms large, loose clusters. Seyve-Villard 12-375 is a very good variety in Arkansas and Oklahoma and is recommended for trail plantings.
Aurelia is a large, white grape which forms short, loose clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous, relatively disease resistant and very productive. The berries may contain no seeds or as many as three. Aurelia has produced well in South Central Texas.
Himrod is a small, round, white grape which forms medium-sized, loose cluster. The vines are moderately vigorous, moderately productive and cold hardy. Himrod has produced well in the Winter Garden area.
Carolina Blackrose is a large, black grape which forms large, loose clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous but not disease resistant. In moist environments this variety must be sprayed to prevent black rot.

MUSCADINES
Hunt is a medium-sized, black grape which forms large clusters. The vines are very productive, vigorous and disease resistant. Hunt is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Jumbo is a very large, black grape which forms large clusters. The vines are vigorous and disease resistant. Jumbo will ripen over a long period of time. Jumbo is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Cowart is a very large, black grape which forms very large clusters. The vine is vigorous and very productive. Cowart forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.
Higgins is a very large, reddish-bronze grape which forms large clusters. The vine is very productive, vigorous and disease resistant. Higgins is a pistillate (female) variety and requires a pollinator.
Carlos is a small, bronze grape which forms a medium-sized cluster. The vine is vigorous, disease resistant and very productive. Carlos forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.
Magnolia is a medium-sized, bronze grape which forms medium-sized clusters. The vines are moderately vigorous and productive. Magnolia forms a complete flower and does not require a pollinator.

GRAPE ROOTSTOCKS
Dog Ridge is a seedling selection of Vitis champini. It forms roots relatively well and stimulates vigor in many varieties grafted onto it. Dog Ridge is graft-compatible with most French, American and French-American varieties. Dog Ridge is resistant to rootknot nematodes.
Champanel is a T. V. Munson hybrid selected in 1893 from Vitis Champini x Vitis labrusca var. Worden. It is a very vigorous rootstock. Champanel cuttings root well. It is tolerant to heat and drought. Champanel grows in most soils, but is most valuable on heavy clay soil where few rootstocks grow well. Champanel is somewhat tolerant to cotton root rot. It is excessively vigorous to light sandy soil.
LaPryor is a native hybrid with Mustang, Vitis candicans, grapes appearing to be in its parentage. It roots relatively well and is very compatible with some American hybrids. LaPryor is very tolerant to cotton root rot.

Dr. J. A. Mortensen

Dr. John Mortenson from Florida Ag Hall of Fame on Vimeo

Dr. Mortensen, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, bred Blanc DuBois, Stover, Conquistador, Dixie, Orlando Seedless.and many others.  He was born in 1929 (San Antonio) and grew up at the Texas experimental station at Winterhaven and Crystal City.  He received BA (1950) and MA (1951) degrees from Texas A&M, and a Doctorate in 1957 from Cornell.  In 1960, he accepted a position with the University of Florida at their Leesburg Station near Orlando.  He worked there until he retired in 1991.

I came across this interesting link between D. Mortensen and T.V. Munson:
"Dr. John Mortensen, who spent a very productive career at the Leesburg Station and developed most of the successful Florida grape varieties now in use, came from Texas. There, his father, E. Mortensen a county extension agent planted out grapes for T.V. Munson in evaluations that eventually led to Munson hybrids and the resurgence of grapes in Florida in the early 1900s."

Florida Grape History

 Doing a little more hunting, I came across Dr. George Ray McEachern's A Texas Grape and Wine History:

"In 1931, a large A&M research vineyard was established at the Winter Garden Experiment Station at Winter Haven, Texas by Ernest Mortensen. More than a thousand grape and rootstock varieties were tested until 1952 when the project was closed. When the Munson and Son's Nursery was closed at Denison, Texas the collection of Munson varieties was moved to the Winter Garden Station. Mortensen established Dog Ridge, Champanel and LaPryor as outstanding cotton root rot resistant rootstocks. He identified LeNoir, Champanel and Edna as good fruit producers. He also identified LeNoir, Herbemont and Barlinka as resistant to Vine Disease which we now know as Pierce's Disease. Mortensen also established that Vitis vinifera varieties have serious Black Rot problems in southwest Texas."

80% of 2012 seeds potted

There is an odd magic about potting seeds.  As I'm dropping seeds in the soil, there is a voice in my head saying 'no way a grape vine emerges from this.'  But, it does.

The weather was wonderful this weekend.  I enjoyed my southern facing porch workshop.  The greenhouse and a fish-pond are to my left.  My tools chests 30 feet away, directly in front of me.  A barrel of dirt next to my chair on my right.  A big sturdy workbench. A kitchen and sink handy.  A computer 50 or 60 feet away.

I'm somewhat distressed at my decision to put 40 seeds in each pot.  Going down to only 20 seeds would have doubled the area required, though.

Three quarters of my "Chalk Ridge cinerea x Extra" cross got moldy in the refrigerator.  Last year, the moldy seeds failed to germinate, so this was a sad discovery.  It seems my 'seed cleaning' efforts were not sufficient.  Next year, if the seeds are going in the refrigerator, they will get 'Houled'.