IVAS Session 5 – Keynote and full talk

Combined improvements in sequencing technologies and assembly algorithms have led to staggering improvements in the quality of grape genome assemblies.

The use of varieties tolerant to diseases is a long-term but promising option to reduce chemical input in viticulture. Several important breeding programs in Europe and abroad are starting to release a range of new hybrids performing well regarding fungi susceptibility and wine quality.

New pathogen resistant varieties allow an efficient and greatly reduced use of fungicides. These new varieties promise, therefore, an enormous potential to reach the European Green Deal aim of a 50% reduction of pesticides in EU agriculture by 2030.

Grapevine breeding focuses on high wine quality and climate-adapted grapevine varieties with fungal disease resistances to be cultivated in a pesticide-reduced and sustainable viticulture.

New grape varieties with several resistance loci towards powdery and downy mildew allows to significantly reduce the use of fungicides