Using nanopore skim-sequencing to characterise regional epigenetic variability in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

this research investigates the impact of early oxygen exposure, also during malolactic fermentation (MLF), on pigments and color of a red wine from Sangiovese grapes

Wine grape growers in California’s North Coast region recorded severe outbreaks of the exotic pest, Virginia creeper leafhopper (VCLH) (Erythroneura ziczac) in 2011-2012, resulting in devastating damage, particularly in organic vineyards. An initial assessment determined that these outbreaks were due to a lack of biological control and poor understanding of management control practices for E. ziczac, which can easily be confused with the more common western grape leafhopper (E. elegantula).

Modern grapevine breeding programs have overcome many challenges using genomic selection, which has allowed breeders to make targeted selections at earlier stages in the breeding process. However, the cost of genetic testing may present a burden for some programs, and markers often struggle to accurately predict quantitative traits. Recent advances in high throughput, high-dimensional data have provoked investigation into the use of high-dimensional phenomics as a low-cost addition to the grape breeder’s toolkit that may offer advantages in predicting quantitative traits. High-dimensional secondary trait (HDST) data has been employed in annual crops for prediction of agriculturally important traits such as yield.

Plants have evolved different strategies to cope with environmental stresses and, although still debated, it was observed that they can remember past stress occurrence.
Anatomical and physiological adjustments have been observed in different grapevine cultivars after repeated drought exposure, however epigenetic, transcriptional and biochemical changes associated with drought-primed ecological memory have been poorly studied.
This work was conceived to test whether exposure to recurring events of mild drought could prime vines to endure severe drought stress. Particularly, we investigated whether the expected improved stress tolerance of Vitis vinifera cv Nebbiolo plants subjected over years to moderate and long-lasting water stress events (WS-primed) depended on molecular memory phenomena or on resetting of stress-induced signals.

NIR spectroscopy has widely been tested in viticulture as powerful alternative to traditional analytical methods in the field of quality evaluation. NIR instruments have been used for assessing must and wine quality features in several works, but little information regarding their application on whole berries for polyphenol determination is available.