Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karataş's Presentation at the 3rd Kök Köken Toprak Event
Root Origin Soil is a civil organization that encourages the wine industry, which is treated like a stepchild in our country, to continue on its path. The greatest gain of the participants was that the professionals from different formations brought together by this civil organization shared their knowledge with the members of the wine world. We will discuss two of the presentations in a broader context. The first one is a project led by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Karataş, a faculty member at the Faculty of Agriculture at Dicle University.
The title of the blog was so long that we had to revise. The following part was ‘ Prof. Karataş’s Presentation in Root Origin Soil 2024 Event’. The official name of the presented project is "Öküzgözü and Boğazkere Grape Varieties Clonal Selection". Although the main idea is clear when read, the summary of the work is to determine which Öküzgözü and Boğazkere samples give better results than their counterparts in the light of various criteria such as productivity, durability, and quality performance. Mr. Karataş included three subheadings in his presentation. The first of these is the title of the presentation, “Clone Selection of Öküzgözü and Boğazkere Grape Varieties”. The second title is “Wild Grapevine Genetic Resources”, and the third is “Other Academic Studies Conducted in the Field of Viticulture in Diyarbakır Province”.
We learn that clonal selection has been carried out on 40 grape varieties in our country to date and the most suitable examples have been selected. This makes us happy, but it also makes us think: If we know that there are more than 1,400 registered grape varieties and that there are still more than 800 varieties left after they are sorted, what is the status of the remaining ones? We understand that a similar study is being carried out for Öküzgözü and Boğazkere, meaning that at least the number of grape varieties will reach 42, but that does not make us comfortable.
In the clone selection, we learned that the project was carried out in cooperation with selected vineyards in Elazığ and Diyarbakır, how the summary of the analysis of productivity parameters and fruit components were evaluated, and that the 25 candidates selected as a result of these studies would be grown under their supervision in five-acre Clone Selection plots established within the university. Hüseyin Bey explained that in the second phase of the project, three clones for must and wine would be determined from among these selected ones and breeding plots would be established from these.
Agriculture is an activity carried out to earn income by producing and processing. When we look at the components in this project, the quality of the production to be made starting from the vineyard is the most important stage in terms of achieving the stability and quality in the final product, the wine. The fact that the vineyard grower has vines that are resistant to diseases, have a berry structure and content that meet expectations and are compatible with its terroir will create a common ground where everyone can profit. Öküzgözü is one of our most valuable wine grapes that has made a name for itself in the international world. It is a relief to have it included in this study, even if it is late. Boğazkere is the most characteristic among Turkish wine grapes. Its future is also being secured with this work.
The Wild Grapevine Genetic Resources project conducted by Hüseyin Karataş together with his colleague at the same faculty and his wife Dilek Karataş is of great importance. Turkey is one of the eight countries that still host wild grapevines that have managed to preserve their existence to this day. In the presentation that summarized the domestication of wild grapevines by humans and their transformation into a cultivated grapevine throughout history, it was emphasized that new solutions could be developed, especially in terms of adaptation to changing climate conditions, by using existing wild grapevines. The fact that 30 of the wild grapevines that the academic couple identified around Diyarbakır and Elazığ during their work have been taken under protection in the vineyard area within the university is as valuable as a treasure.
The relationship that the university has established with farmers and other parties of the agricultural sector, the education they provide and the solutions they have developed for problems have made us all very happy. The presence of Hüseyin Karataş and others who think like him during this difficult period that the country is in has revived our hopes for the future.
We salute all the academics who continue to carry out these studies with both professional meticulousness and sincerity in the person of Hüseyin Karataş.
