In viticulture, this is understood to mean the young vine germinated from a planted grape seed. The germination of a seedling can occur independently in nature or be deliberately induced by humans. In contrast to a genetically identical clone that results from vegetative propagation as a cutting (seedling), seedlings resulting from generative or sexual propagation are fundamentally different genotypically. Compared to other plant groups (e.g. trees), the grapevine is extremely heterozygous and cannot be propagated true to type via seeds (grape seeds). The berry seeds carry the paternal genes passed on at fertilisation. For the appearance and varietal typicity of the grapes, however, it is completely irrelevant which paternal variety was used for fertilisation. These correspond 100% to the type of the mother variety, regardless of this.
A seedling always shows a new combination of the parental inherited characteristics, which thus lead to a new grape variety. The up to five (rarely six) seeds in a berry can yield very different varieties. For this reason, seedlings are not used for replanting vineyards, but are only of interest in the breeding of new grape varieties. A seedling may be the product of a self-pollination (self-fertilisation), but may also be the result of fertilisation with pollen from another vine. Such a variety produced by self-fertilisation or cross-fertilisation and then by germination of the grape seed is called spontaneous (natural) crossing. Other terms for this process are "fallen from seed" or open-pollinated (open pollinated). The picture shows a young plant in the nursery. The soil is covered with vegetation and the young shoots are protected against damage from game by planting tubes. See also Flowering and Vine.
Image: By Bauer Karl - Own work, CC BY 3.0, Link
