Azerbaijan Resumes Growing of Karabakh Grape Variety

According to the Azerbaijani Agriculture Ministry, endangered grape types of Karabakh are being bred once more.

Increases in harvest and export potential for national brands are being worked on by the Azerbaijani Scientific Research Institute of Viticulture and Winemaking.

To explore the genetic diversity of regional grape varieties using cutting-edge techniques, the institute signed a contract on scientific cooperation with the German Geilweilerhof Federal Research Centre for Grapevine Breeding of the Julius Kühn-Institut.

To offer growers with top-notch seed stock, promising indigenous grape varieties are first identified and chosen. One of the rarest varieties of Karabakh grapes is Gara Lkeni.

In accordance with the agreement, vines of the Gara Lkeni grape variety were delivered to Geilweilerhof on April 28, 2022, for molecular genetic, ampel, and phenotypic examination. The analyses' findings supported the variety's genetic purity.

The inclusion in the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC), the compilation of the primary morphogenetic characteristics of grape varieties separately for each variety, and the digital description of valuable local Azerbaijani grape varieties using current protocols and methods of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) demonstrate that they are Azerbaijan's national varieties.