Fruit growing and viticulture in Romania at the beginning of the 20^th century

At the beginning of the 20^th century, both climatic conditions and tradition led to the expansion of some important horticultural species across large areas.
Specifically, 340,967 ha were cultivated with fruit species and 210,034 ha with grapes for wine, according to statistics from 1927. The most established fruit region with soils and environment suitable for apple, pear, plum, cherry, and walnut cultivation, which represented 54% of the entire fruit surface, was ‘Sub-Carpathian of Muntenia’, where between 1896 and 1915, 10.3°C annual average temperature and 693 mm annual average rainfall were registered.
The vineyards ‘North Basarabia’ and ‘South Basarabia’ with annual average temperature 9.2 and 10.6°C, respectively, and annual average rainfall 492 and 344 mm, registered in the same period covered 45% of the total acreage cultivated with grapes.
In the year 1927, the fruit production was 1,036,914 t of which plums were 553,599 t (2,630 kg ha^‑1), apples and pears were 241,657 tons (3,671 kg ha^‑1), and nuts were 39,706 t (11 kg tree^‑1). The wine production from the same period fluctuated between 7,585,419 hL (32.2 hL ha^‑1) in 1925 and 5,064,679 hl (29.7 hL ha^‑1) in 1926. The propagation of fruit cultivars (e.g., ‘Cretzesc’, ‘Patule’, ‘Parmain d’or’, ‘Sinap Candil’, ‘Tuleu gras’, ‘Vinete’, ‘Pietroase’) was done in 16 nurseries.
Grapevine as direct hybrids and grafted plants (e.g., ‘Welch Riesling’, ‘Grasa’, ‘Feteasca alba’, ‘Aligoté’, ‘Cramposie’, ‘Braghina’ cultivars) were done in 391 private and 21 state nurseries.

EHC2024: International Symposium on the History of Horticulture in Europe

M. Coman, M. Ion, E. Brinduse

fruit growing, grapes, wine, crop, cultivars

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1438.36