Enhancing hydric stress tolerance by editing the VviMYB60 promoter with CRISPR/Cas9 

More frequent and extreme temperatures and droughts pose challenges to the wine sector in Mediterranean Europe. Soil is crucial to sustain the equilibrium of ecosystems, economic growth and people’s prosperity worldwide. In viticulture, soils are a major component of the terroir and do influence vine’s growth, yield and berry composition. Soil temperature (ST) affects soil´s physical, chemical and biological processes and also crop growth. The impact of ST becomes even stronger when dealing with row crops such as grapevine, when considering the increased exposition to radiation. However, the impact of ST on crop performance remains poorly described, especially for extreme climatic conditions.

Sulfonated monomeric and dimeric flavan-3-ols are recently discovered in wine and proved to have great importance in understanding wine chemistry and quality [1, 2].

In Chile there is a dry farming area known as a traditional wine region, where varieties brought by the Spanish conquerors still persist. These varieties, in general, are cultivated under traditional systems, with low use of technical and economic resources, and low profitability for their grapes and wines. In this region, as in other wine grape growing areas, climatic conditions have changed significantly in recent decades. In particular, the occurrence of spring frosts, when bud break has already begun, have generated significant losses for these growers.

Grape phylloxera (GP) (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch, 1855) devastated European vineyards in the 19th century by attacking Vitis vinifera roots. Today, grafting onto resistant American rootstocks remains its primary control strategy, but GP continues to threaten non-grafted vineyards, prompting the search for alternative control solutions.

In Tuscany region the Rufina is a district of Chianti D.O.C.G. positioned in Val di Sieve, 20 km north east from Florence.