Born in Talavera de la Reina (Castile-León), the Spanish agronomist and writer Gabriel Alonso de Herrera (1470-1539) was best known for his work "Obra de Agricultura" (Labour in Agriculture), published in 1513. It was written under the patronage of Cardinal Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros (1436-1517). Herrera presents a holistic view of the agronomist as an expert in the cultivation of crops and trees, techniques for optimising soil and water for agriculture and horticulture (correcting deficiencies in vines), forecasting adverse weather conditions, agriculture and herbal remedies.

The work also contains information on indigenous grape varieties such as Alarije, Albillo, Garnacha, Lairén, Listán Prieto, Planta Nova, Síria and Tempranillo. Other topics include veterinary medicine, meteorology and studies on the influence of food on health. It was used as a reference work until the beginning of the 20th century.
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien