Developmental and genetic mechanisms underlying seedlessness in grapevine somatic variants

The biodiversity of cultivated vines has been significantly reduced due to a series of factors that have favoured the cultivation of a limited number of varieties and clones over time. In veneto, since 1980, a series of important actions have been implemented to counter this process. These actions have focused on the conservation of germplasm identified in the territory and the recovery of varieties historically present in the region, which were in danger of being abandoned and disappearing.

Botrytis cinerea causes one of the most serious diseases in grapevines namely Botrytis Bunch Rot (BBR). A classification of different grapevine cultivars (cvs.) according to their susceptibility to B. cinerea is an essential management indicator in Integrated Pest Management. Although such classifications are available, they are based mostly on professional experience rather than experimental results.

This summary follows this made by Hervé Hannin et al. Entitled “French wine sector facing climate change (part. 1) : a national strategy built on a foresight and participatory approach “. The french wine sector has taken a collective approach to the issue of climate change, and has officially submitted its strategy to the minister of agriculture in 2021. This industry policy is the result of multidisciplinary work carried out through the “laccave” project (metaprogramme accaf, inrae) and its prospective study designed to anticipate climate change in the french wine industry (aigrain p. Et al., 2016). French wine professionals decided to structure a strategy to deal with climate change du in particular to the presentation made at the 2016 OIV congress in Brazil.

Antagonistic yeasts applied to wine grapes must be compatible with the thereafter winemaking process, avoiding competition with the fermentative Saccharomyces cerevisiae or affecting wine flavour. Therefore, fifteen epiphytic yeasts (6 Metschnikowia sp., 6 Hanseniaspora uvarum, 3 Starmerella bacillaris) previously selected for its biocontrol ability against Alternaria on wine grapes were evaluate for possible competition with S. cerevisiae by the Niche Overlap Index (NOI) employing YNB agar media with 10 mM of 17 different carbonate sources present in wine grapes (proline, asparagine, alanine, glutamic acid, tirosine, arginine, lisine, methionine, glicine, malic acid, tartaric acid, fructose, melibiose, raffinose, rhamnose, sucrose, glucose).

As Vitis vinifera varieties are susceptible to fungal diseases, numerous chemical treatments are generally required to ensure the quantity and quality of the harvest. However, in the context of sustainable viticulture, there are increasing societal request, political incitation, and winegrowers’ awareness to reduce the use of pesticides.