Armenia: historical origin of domesticated grapevine

Abstract

The Armenian Highlands are located on the northern border of Western Asia and stretch up to the Caucasus from the north. Throughout human history, the country has played an important role in connecting the civilizations of Europe and the Near East. A recent large-scale study about the dual domestication origin and evolution of grapes approved that in the Armenian Highlands human and grapevine stories are interlaced through centuries and roots of grapevine domestication are found deep in the Pleistocene, ending 11.5 thousand years ago. Until recently very little was known about the real magnitude of grape germplasm in Armenia. To address the gap in 2017, a nationwide program was launched to collect, conserve, and thoroughly characterize Armenian grapevine germplasm. Obtained results indicated that high genetic and morphological diversity as a source of novel alleles and genotypes is still safeguard in Armenia. A combination of genomic data, nuclear microsatellite markers and ampelography proved useful to determine the identity of collected samples recovered from old vineyards and home gardens, to analyze genetic relationships among two subspecies of Vitis vinifera, to demonstrated existence of gene flow between the wild and cultivated grapevines through overlaps and presence of admixed ancestry values.

DOI:

Publication date: November 18, 2024

Issue: OIV 2024

Type: Article

Authors

Kristine Margaryan1,2, Avag Harutyunyan3, Bella Grigoryan1, Aramais Mkrtchyan1, Frunz Harutyunyan1

1 Research Group of Plant Genomics, Institute of Molecular Biology of National Academy of Sciences RA, Yerevan 0014, Armenia
2 Research Institute of Biology, Yerevan State University, Yerevan 0025, Armenia
3 National Wine Center, Yerevan 0012, Armenia

Contact the author*

Tags

Full papers OIV 2024 | IVES Conference Series | OIV | OIV 2024

Citation

Related articles…

Multi-trait selection in ancient grapevine varieties

The selection of ancient grapevine varieties aims to achieve genetic gains in several important traits that can make the variety more interesting for the objectives of the producers. Traditionally, yield and quality traits of the must have been considered for selection, but many others can be taken into account. Linear mixed models are fitted to the data to predict the empirical best linear unbiased predictors (EBLUPs) of genotypic effects for each evaluated trait, which will be the basis for selection.

High pressure homogenization of wine lees. A tool to streamline the management of wine ageing

Aging on lees (AOL) has been used for wine aging for a long time, thanks to its ability to modify wine composition, improving sensory characteristics and stability. However, the prolonged contact with fermentation lees may increase the risk of developing sensory defects, due to the growth of unwanted microorganisms. Furthermore, AOL requires a large amount of work to manage bâtonnage and for topping up the barrels, significantly increasing production costs.

Towards more coherent rules for alcohol labelling in the European Union

In its 2020 beating cancer plan, the european commission announced plans for mandatory warning signs for alcoholic beverages. However, no concrete legislative proposal has been put forward so far. Instead, ireland passed national legislation in 2023 that requires warning signs for all alcoholic beverages from 2026. Despite significant effects for the common market, the eu commission did not this challenge this law in the so-called tris notification procedure. We argue that the commission’s inaction is consistent with the case law of the european court of justice: in the absence of harmonized rules, member states have a large margin of discretion to enact national health measures.

The Shield4Grape project to improve the sustainability of European viticulture

Grapevine (vitis spp.) Is one of the major and most economically important fruit crops worldwide. Unlike other cropping systems, viticulture has ancient historical connections with the development of human culture and with the socio-cultural background of grape-growing areas. The vitis genus is characterised by high levels of genetic diversity, as result of natural genetic mutations, which are common in grapevines and further assisted by ongoing vegetative propagation.

Evaluation of Acıkara (Vitis vinifera L.) native grape variety of anatolia for red wine production potential

The acıkara grape variety, a nearly forgotten native black variety in Anatolia/Turkey, has recently gained interest in its potential for producing high-quality wine from producers and consumers. The potential of producing high-quality red wine from the Acıkara grape variety (vitis vinifera), which is cultivated on the elmalı/antalya in the highland (1100 m altitude) of western mediterranean region, was investigated, and the suitability of the wine’s characteristics associated with high-quality red wine was determined.