First insights on the intra-species diversity in V. berlandieri: environmental adaptation and agronomic performances when used as rootstock

Abstract

Context and purpose of the study – In grafted plants, such as grapevine, increasing the diversity of rootstocks available to growers is an ideal strategy to get adaptation to climate change. The rootstocks used for grapevine are hybrids of various American Vitis, including V. berlandieri. The rootstocks currently used in vineyards are derived from breeding programs involving very small numbers of parental individuals.

Material and method – In 2005, 78 wild female V. berlandieri plants were ampelographically identified in Texas, USA. The coordinates and elevation of each sampling site were recorded. After growing the plants in field, we selected 286 genotypes. A genotyping by sequencing allowed us to extract 104,378 SNP and to explore the genetic structure of the V. berlandieri population. After grafting, 846 plants were grown in pots and evaluated for root-related traits for two independent years. In our experimental design, four rootstocks (110R, 5BB, SO4, and Börner) widely used in vineyards were added to the study population in order to evaluate the agronomical performances of V. berlandieri wild rootstocks.