Mechanisms responsible for different susceptibility of grapevine varieties to flavescence dorée

A rapid and reproducible microwave (MW)-assisted acid digestion protocol was developed to determine the elemental composition of grapevine bark samples using ICP-MS.

Climate change is having a significant impact on the wine industry through more regular drought conditions, fires, and heat events, leading to crop loss. Furthermore, these events can reduce overall quality of the fruit, even when crop yields are not impacted. Anthocyanins are considered one of the most important classes of compounds for red wine production and are known to be sensitive to vine water status and heat events.

The optimal climatic conditions of the region were proved in 1867, when a leaf-print of Vitis tokaiensis was found in a stone from miocen age (13 million years ago).

Rootstocks were the first sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy to cope with a major threat for Vitis vinifera cultivation. In addition to providing Phylloxera resistance, they play an important role in protecting against other soil-borne pests, such as nematodes, and in adapting V. vinifera to limiting abiotic conditions. Today viticulture has to adapt to ongoing climate change whilst simultaneously reducing its environmental impact. In this context, rootstocks are a central element in the development of agro-ecological practices that increase adaptive potential with low external inputs. Despite the apparent diversity of the Vitis genus, only few rootstock varieties are used worldwide and most of them have a very narrow genetic background. This means that there is considerable scope to breed new, improved rootstocks to adapt viticulture for the future.

Overarching surveys of QTL (Quantitative Trait Loci) studies in both model plants and staple crops have facilitated the access to information and boosted the impact of existing data on plant improvement activities. Today, the grapevine community is ready to take up the challenge of making the wealth of QTL information F.A.I.R.. To ensure that all valuable published data can be used more effectively, the myriad of identified QTLs have to be captured, standardised and stored in a dedicated public database.
As an outcome of the GRAPEDIA initiative, QTL-dedicated experts from around the world have gathered to compile the grapevine QTLome: the complete information (e.g., map positions, associated phenotypes) describing all experimentally supported QTLs for a specific trait.