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The scientific-researchers in the branch of viticulture in Bulgaria started with the foundation of the State Control Station in Viticulture and Enology in Pleven in 1902, on the recommendation of the French Professor Pierre Viala and its first director Isidor Bosu - assistant of Prof. Viala. It was the first scientific- research institution in the field of plant growing in Bulgaria and the fourth one in viticulture in the world.
Established to solve the problems for viticulture recovering destroyed by phylloxera invasion the Experimental station in Viticulture was transformed at a later stage into the Institute of Viticulture and Enology (26 May 1944) with a well-developed system of experimental vineyards and stations located in the different viticultural regions in the country: town Rouse, village Han Krum - Shoumen; town Varna ; town Pomorie, town Septemvri; town Sandanski.
The main contributions from the early period of the Institute ensuring its position as a centre of the Bulgarian viticultural science might be summarized as follows:
- recovering of viticulture after the phylloxera invasion based on the innovative at the beginning of this century technology for production of vine propagation material with grafts on phylloxera-resistant rootstocks and on the basis of precise agrochemical studies for the rootstocks resistance to the potassiues for the rootstocks resistance to the potassium content in the soil and their affinity to the widely spread grapevine varieties in Bulgaria;
- organizing and development of nurseries as a science and practice;
- restructuring and improvement of the grapevine varieties in conformity with the European standards and development of table grapes production resulting in maintaining of the direct varieties and in 1938 and 1965 Bulgaria was the first one among the countries exporting table grapes in the world.
At present the research activities of the Institute are as follows:
- Studying, improvement, preserving and characterizing of grapevine genetic resources.
- Environmental technologies for grapes and vine propagating material production.
- Technological studies of vine grapevine varieties for creating of new types of wine.
- Economic regulation, organization structures and management of the recreation process in viticulture and enology
The researches results in the last 20 years can be summarised as follows:
- an ampelographic collection was created based on long term studies consisting of 1750 grapevine species and varieties. At present the investigations of this rich genetic material are methodically coordinated with the studies of the institutes from the countries - members of the European Union as IVE participates in the project Genres - 081.
- 31 new varieties and 2 clones wereoject Genres - 081.
- 31 new varieties and 2 clones were created at the Institute by intraspecific and interspecfic hybridisation and clone selection: 10 early table grapes; 8 - wine and 13 - low winter temperatures and Plasmopara viticola resistant. Among them the early table grapevine seeded varieties Mechta, Super ran Bolgar, Pleven, Misket Plevenski and Brestovitza are of interest. Prof. Dr. Mintcho Kondarev created in the recent years a number of table grapes varieties with very good characteristic concerning the size and the appearance of the cluster and the berries and with excellent taste qualities. The best ones among them are the early seeded Diana and Nadezhda and the seedless Roussalka, Kondarev 6, Kondarev 10 and Roussalka - 3. The approved two clones are of the varieties Chardonnay and Aligote. Eight candidate clones are in process of investigation;
- Embryo rescue system and cultivating of seedless grapevine genotypes is worked out;
- A system for grapevine in vitro culture for genetic and sanitary selection is established.
- On the basis of former and present studies on the agricultural and environmental conditions in the country and the world tendencies concerning the cultivars structure and the production of grapes and wine the division of viticulture into districts in Bulgaria from the 60-ies is constantly improved.
- A technology for planting of vineyards on sloped terrains was developed.
- Environms on sloped terrains was developed.
- Environmental technologies for grapes production based on a complex of agrotechnical procedures for growing of the main vine varieties from the Bulgarian commercial grapevine assortment are developed. In this connection the methods of scientific yield prognosticating, leaf diagnosis for defining the fertilizing necessity; defining the pesticides residues in soil, vines, grapes, must and wine are worked out. Technologies for combined diseases and enemies control are developed by improvement the conventional methods in viticulture and by means of low-volume, ultralow-volume and electrostatic spraying. A technology and respective method is worked out for weed control by means of herbicides in the mother plantations, in young and fruit-bearing vineyards. Machines and technologies for green pruning and preliminary mature pruning as well as for vineyard cleaning of plant residues were created. Possibilities for mechanised vintage were defined. Studies were carried out for most effective organisation of the production and economic results of high-stem vines growing with wide row distance.
- The biological and economical characteristics of the important economic grapevine diseases, pests and enemies were studied and technologies for protection were developed.
- A technology was developed for production of base, certified and standard vine propagating material free from the economically significant grapeee from the economically significant grapevine viroses and other fungus and bacterial diseases, spread by cuttings and rootstock. Super elite nursery was established and maintained at the Institute.
- Methods for production of table and dessert red and white wines and alcoholic drinks were developed based on the studies of the properties of more than 120 traditional, introduced and newly-bred varieties, clones and hybrids. The wines with declared name for origin "Cabernet from Lozitza" and with declared geographic origin "Gamza from Pleven", as well as "Merlot", "Storgozia", "Naslada", "Kailashki Misket", "Chardonnay", "Riesling Italianski", "Country", the aperitif " Morello" and "Grapes Brandy" are of particular interest.
At the conditions of the present severe economic crises viticulture and the science for viticulture are not spared. The negative influence of the crises is expressed in a considerable decrease of the budget funds for research activities resulting in limiting the scope of studies, receiving of specialised literature from abroad, limiting the contacts and the information exchange with foreign institutes and specialists as it is practically impossible short-term and long-term specialisation's and business trips abroad to be financed. Under these circumstances the number of the researchers decreased considerably. This reduction for the IVE - Pleven is about 30% for the period 1991-1995.
Regardless of thehe period 1991-1995.
Regardless of the past and present difficulties a National Coordination Program for researches in the field of viticulture is being developed in Bulgaria. The main coordinator of this program is the Institute of Viticulture and Enology - Pleven. The coordination program consists of working out the branches of priority for our country; improvement of the grapevine varieties and keeping of the genetic resources; improvement of the integrated system for diseases, enemies and weeds control; development of environmental and economical technologies for production of grapevine propagating material, grapes and wine; modules for viticultural farms and wineries based on economic-mathematical modelling.
The results from the undertaken studies are the basis for re-establishing viticulture on modern basis and keeping the positions of the Institute in Viticulture and Enology in Pleven of a scientific institution having a great influence on the policy in the field of grapes and wine production in Bulgaria.