History of viticulture and information on the state of cultivation. Botany of the genus Vitis. Morphological and functional characteristics of the root and shoot system. Life cycle and annual cycle: phenological stages and vegetative growth. Induction and bud differentiation. Flowering and process anomalies. Growth and maturation of the fruit. The root absorption. The transpiration, the evaporation, the water transportation, the water stress. Photosynthesis and apical dominance. The propagation and the main roostocks. Amphelography and cultivar identification. Description of the main varieties grown in the world, in Italy and in Sardinia. The genetic improvement.