The German vine breeder Dr. Helmut Becker (1927-1990) studied natural sciences at the University of Mainz and earned his doctorate on the Biology of the grapevine pest. From 1952 to 1953, he was a research associate at the State Wine Institute Freiburg (Germany). As the successor to Dr. Heinrich Birk Heinrich (1998-1973), he led the Institute for Vine Breeding and Grape Improvement from 1964 to 1989 and the Department of Viticulture and Beverage Technology at the Hessian Teaching and Research Institute for Wine, Fruit, and Horticulture in Geisenheim in the Rheingau from 1971 to 1975.
He dedicated himself to the breeding of Cépages nobles, Clone, as well as ensuring the supply of planting material through the introduction of sanitary measures and the creation of legal regulations. Among his contributions are the New breed Bolero, Dakapo, Ehrenbreitsteiner, Primera, Prinzipal, Reichensteiner, Rondo, and Saphira. He used Asian varieties of the species Vitis amurensis due to their resilience against frost. An important breeding goal was the resistance against both powdery mildew-types and Botrytis.
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)