1616 Couderc
Name of variety in France (and usual designation)
1616 Couderc (1616 C)
Breeder/selector and year of obtention
Georges Couderc, 1882.
Genetic origin
This variety results from the crossbreeding of Vitis longii and Vitis riparia.
Evolution of mother vine surfaces
1945 1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005 2015
Rank 16 14 20 22 24 25 25 25
ha 6 8 6 4 1 0.1 0.1 0.4
Estimated surface area of French vines grafted with the rootstock, and main regions of use
150 ha. Languedoc-Roussillon.
Descriptive elements
The identification is based on:
- the tip of the young shoot that is closed, with a medium to high density of prostrate hairs,
- the green young leaves,
- the shoots with no erect and prostrate hairs,
- the wedge-shaped adult leaves, with a very open petiole sinus, very long teeth compared to their width with one side concave and one side convex (the three terminal teeth of the central main vein and the two main adjacent lateral veins are longer and more developed), and on the lower side of the leaves, a medium to high density of erect hairs,
- the female flowers,
- the very small, round-shaped berries, with a blue black skin,
- the woody shoots with no erect and prostrate hairs.
Genetic profile
Microsatellite VVS2 VVMD5 VVMD7 VVMD27 VRZAG62 VRZAG79 VVMD25 VVMD28 VVMD32
Allel 1 137 261 239 238 190 256 238 241 236
Allel 2 139 265 251 242 191 258 242 249 236
Resistance to soil parasites
1616 C is highly tolerant to the root form of phylloxera and is well resistant to Meloidogyne arenaria and Meloidogyne incognita nematodes.
Adaptation to the environment
1616 C is not very or moderately tolerant to chlorosis and it only resists up to 11% of "active" limestone. It is fairly well adapted to humidity in addition to its tolerance to chlorides. 1616 C is well suited to sandy-clay soils.
Interaction with grafts and production objectives
The vigor confered by 1616 C is low. The varieties grafted onto this rootstock produce good quality products.
Vegetative propagation aptitudes
1616 C wood production is moderate (40 000 to 60 000 m/ha) and has good cuttings rooting and grafting capacities. With vigorous grafts, the bulging at the graft union can become quite large.
Resistance to aerial parasites
1616 C has a good tolerance to the gall form of phylloxera and a decent resistance to downy mildew and anthracnose.
Clonal selection in France
In France, the 2 certified 1616 C clones carry the numbers 98 and 763. The clone 98 is multiplied on 32 ares of mother vines producing certified material, in 2017.

Datas are extracted from: Les chiffres de la pépinière viticole, 2017, Datas and assesment of FranceAgriMer, may 2018.
Bibliographic references
- Catalogue des variétés et clones de vigne cultivés en France. Collectif, 2007, Ed. IFV, Le Grau-du-Roi, France.
- Documentary collections of the Centre de Ressources Biologiques de la Vigne de Vassal-Montpellier, INRAE - Montpellier SupAgro, Marseillan, France.
- Cépages et vignobles de France, tome 1. P. Galet, 1988, Ed. Dehan, Montpellier, France.