Grapevine (
ssp.
) is a perennial crop especially important for wine and fruit production. The species is highly polymorphic with thousands of different varieties selected by farmers and clonally ...propagated. However, it is still debated whether grapevine domestication from its wild ancestor (
ssp.
) has been a single event or rather it occurred on multiple occasions during the diffusion of its cultivation across the Mediterranean. Located in the center of the Basin, Sicily is its largest island and has served as a hotspot for all civilizations that have crossed the Mediterranean throughout history. Hundreds of unique grapevine cultivars are still cultivated in Sicily and its surrounding minor islands, though most of them are menaced by extinction. Wild grapevine is also present with isolated populations thriving along riverbanks. With the aim to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships among Sicilian varieties, and to assess the possible contribution of indigenous wild populations to the genetic makeup of cultivated grapevine, we analyzed 170 domestic cultivars and 125 wild plants, collected from 10 different populations, with 23 SSR markers. We also compared our data with published dataset from Eurasia. Results show that Sicilian wild populations are related to the cultivated Sicilian and Italian germplasm, suggesting events of introgression and/or domestication of local varieties.
Grapevine seedlings Vitis vinifera L. were grown in a greenhouse under optimum conditions (soil moisture ca 70 %) and under drought stress (soil moisture ca 30 %). Drought stress caused reduction in ...total phenolic compounds in grapevine leaves and roots, where were identified tree phenolic acids: caffeic acid, p-coumaric acid and ferulic acid. All acids found in leaves and roots occurred in the ester-bound form. Only caffeic acid in leaves appeared in the free and ester-bound form. Caffeic acid was present in the highest concentrations. The content of ferulic acid was the lowest in both tissues. The levels of all phenolic acids in leaves and roots decreased significantly under the drought stress. All the extracts from grapevine leaves and roots had antioxidative properties, but the antiradical activity of the extracts obtained from roots subjected to drought stress was lower to the control. The results of the analysis revealed that long-term drought stress caused a decrease in selected elements of secondary metabolism in such a different plant tissues that are the leaves and roots of the grapevine.
Temperature, water, solar radiation, and atmospheric CO
concentration are the main abiotic factors that are changing in the course of global warming. These abiotic factors govern the synthesis and ...degradation of primary (sugars, amino acids, organic acids, etc.) and secondary (phenolic and volatile flavor compounds and their precursors) metabolites directly, via the regulation of their biosynthetic pathways, or indirectly, via their effects on vine physiology and phenology. Several hundred secondary metabolites have been identified in the grape berry. Their biosynthesis and degradation have been characterized and have been shown to occur during different developmental stages of the berry. The understanding of how the different abiotic factors modulate secondary metabolism and thus berry quality is of crucial importance for breeders and growers to develop plant material and viticultural practices to maintain high-quality fruit and wine production in the context of global warming. Here, we review the main secondary metabolites of the grape berry, their biosynthesis, and how their accumulation and degradation is influenced by abiotic factors. The first part of the review provides an update on structure, biosynthesis, and degradation of phenolic compounds (flavonoids and non-flavonoids) and major aroma compounds (terpenes, thiols, methoxypyrazines, and C13 norisoprenoids). The second part gives an update on the influence of abiotic factors, such as water availability, temperature, radiation, and CO
concentration, on berry secondary metabolism. At the end of the paper, we raise some critical questions regarding intracluster berry heterogeneity and dilution effects and how the sampling strategy can impact the outcome of studies on the grapevine berry response to abiotic factors.
Across plants, leaves exhibit profound diversity in shape. As a single leaf expands, its shape is in constant flux. Plants may also produce leaves with different shapes at successive nodes. In ...addition, leaf shape varies among individuals, populations and species as a result of evolutionary processes and environmental influences. Because leaf shape can vary in many different ways, theoretically, the effects of distinct developmental and evolutionary processes are separable, even within the shape of a single leaf. Here, we measured the shapes of > 3200 leaves representing > 270 vines from wild relatives of domesticated grape (Vitis spp.) to determine whether leaf shapes attributable to genetics and development are separable from each other. We isolated latent shapes (multivariate signatures that vary independently from each other) embedded within the overall shape of leaves. These latent shapes can predict developmental stages independent from species identity and vice versa. Shapes predictive of development were then used to stage leaves from 1200 varieties of domesticated grape (Vitis vinifera), revealing that changes in timing underlie leaf shape diversity. Our results indicate that distinct latent shapes combine to produce a composite morphology in leaves, and that developmental and evolutionary contributions to shape vary independently from each other.
•The transcriptional activation activity and nuclear localization of VvWRKY30 were confirmed.•VvWRKY30 showed key transcriptional activity domain at the N-terminal and specifically binds to the ...W-BOX.•The expression of VvWRKY30 was induced by salt as well as stress signaling molecules H2S and H2O2.•Overexpression of VvWRKY30 increased plant salt stress resistance by regulating reactive oxygen species-scavenging and osmoticum accumulation.
High salinity severely inhibits the growth and productivity of grape plants. However, knowledge of salt-stress regulation remains limited in WRKY members of grapes. Here, we isolated a novel VvWRKY30 gene from Vitis vinifera L. and studied its role in salt-stress resistance. The VvWRKY30 protein fused with green fluorescent protein localized to the nucleus and the transcriptional activation activity of VvWRKY30 was confirmed in yeast. Moreover, VvWRKY30 showed key transcriptional activity domain at the N-terminal and specifically binds to the W-BOX. VvWRKY30 showed the highest expression in the shoot tip and functional leaves of grape plants. VvWRKY30 expression was induced by salt as well as stress signaling molecules H2S and H2O2. Overexpression of VvWRKY30 in Arabidopsis increased its resistance to salt stress at different stages of growth. Under salinity stress, VvWRKY30 overexpressing lines had higher antioxidant activities and lower reactive oxygen species contents. Soluble sugar and proline concentrations also increased in VvWRKY30 overexpressing lines in the presence of NaCl. In addition, the transcription of genes related to antioxidant biosynthesis, glyco-metabolism and proline biosynthesis increased in the VvWRKY30 overexpressing lines. Taken together, this study confirmed the important role of VvWRKY30 in increasing salt stress resistance by regulating reactive oxygen species-scavenging and the accumulation of osmoticum.
Summary
Changes in the performance of genotypes in different environments are defined as genotype × environment (G×E) interactions. In grapevine (Vitis vinifera), complex interactions between ...different genotypes and climate, soil and farming practices yield unique berry qualities. However, the molecular basis of this phenomenon remains unclear. To dissect the basis of grapevine G×E interactions we characterized berry transcriptome plasticity, the genome methylation landscape and within‐genotype allelic diversity in two genotypes cultivated in three different environments over two vintages. We identified, through a novel data‐mining pipeline, genes with expression profiles that were: unaffected by genotype or environment, genotype‐dependent but unaffected by the environment, environmentally‐dependent regardless of genotype, and G×E‐related. The G×E‐related genes showed different degrees of within‐cultivar allelic diversity in the two genotypes and were enriched for stress responses, signal transduction and secondary metabolism categories. Our study unraveled the mutual relationships between genotypic and environmental variables during G×E interaction in a woody perennial species, providing a reference model to explore how cultivated fruit crops respond to diverse environments. Also, the pivotal role of vineyard location in determining the performance of different varieties, by enhancing berry quality traits, was unraveled.
Significance Statement
A dissection of grapevine G×E interaction unravels the mutual relationships between genotypic and environmental variables and defines the molecular basis of G×E‐determined qualitative berry traits.
Premise of the Study
The stem of Vitis vinifera, a climbing vine of global economic importance, is characterized by both wide and narrow vessels and high specific hydraulic conductivity. While the ...effect of drought stress has been studied in 1‐ and 2‐yr‐old stems, there are few data documenting effects of drought stress on the anatomical structure of the mature, woody stem near the base of the vine. Here we describe mature wood anatomical responses to two irrigation regimes on wood anatomy and specific hydraulic conductivity in Vitis vinifera Merlot vines.
Methods
For 4 years, irrigation was applied constantly at low, medium, or high levels, or at alternating levels at two different periods during the growing season, either early spring or late summer, resulting in late season or early spring deficits, respectively. The following variables were measured: trunk diameter, annual ring width and area, vessel diameter, specific hydraulic conductivity and stem water potential.
Key Results
High water availability early in the season (late deficit) resulted in vigorous vegetative growth (greater trunk diameter, ring width and area), wider vessels and increased specific hydraulic conductivity. High water availability early in the season caused a shift of the vessel population towards the wider frequency classes. These late deficit vines showed more negative water potential values late in the season than vines that received low but relatively constant irrigation.
Conclusions
We concluded that high water availability during vegetative growth period of Vitis increases vessels diameter and hydraulic conductivity and causes the vines to be more vulnerable to drought stress late in the season.
Choosing the most appropriate rootstock(s) is a key decision for the profitability of vineyards; therefore, there must be a sufficient range of rootstocks in the market adapted to different ...environmental conditions and production objectives. However, rootstock-breeding programs have been scarce in recent decades, and most of the rootstocks used today were bred a century ago, when the needs of the sector were very different from today. In this work, we aimed to evaluate new rootstock candidates before their introduction in the market. An agronomic evaluation was conducted on eight novel rootstock genotypes obtained from the first generation of the cross-pollination of 41 B Millardet et de Grasset (41 B) and 110 Richter (110 R) grafted with ‘Syrah’ and ‘Tempranillo’ and planted in a typical vineyard of the Ebro Valley in Spain. During the four consecutive growing seasons (2016–2019), growth, yield and berry composition parameters at harvest were collected. A linear mixed-effects model was constructed, considering year and block as random effects. Multiple factor analysis and hierarchical clustering on principal components were performed to establish clusters of genotypes with similar behaviour. The rootstock candidates showed a very wide performance range compared to their parents. The trial allowed us to identify two very promising candidates (RG8 and RG10), whose registration as commercial rootstocks is already in progress.
In the face of water stress, plants evolved with different abilities to limit the decrease in leaf water potential, notably in the daytime (ΨM). So-called isohydric species efficiently maintain high ...ΨM, whereas anisohydric species cannot prevent ΨM from dropping as soil water deficit develops. The genetic and physiological origins of these differences in (an)isohydric behaviours remain to be clarified. This is of particular interest within species such as Vitis vinifera L. where continuous variation in the level of isohydry has been observed among cultivars. With this objective, a 2 year experiment was conducted on the pseudo-F1 progeny from a cross between the two widespread cultivars Syrah and Grenache using a phenotyping platform coupled to a controlled-environment chamber. Potted plants of all the progeny were analysed for ΨM, transpiration rate, and soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance, under both well-watered and water deficit conditions. A high genetic variability was found for all the above traits. Four quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected for ΨM under water deficit conditions, and 28 other QTLs were detected for the different traits in either condition. Genetic variation in ΨM maintenance under water deficit weakly correlated with drought-induced reduction in transpiration rate in the progeny, and QTLs for both traits did not completely co-localize. This indicates that genetic variation in the control of ΨM under water deficit was not due simply to variation in transpiration sensitivity to soil drying. Possible origins of the diversity in (an)isohydric behaviours in grapevine are discussed on the basis of concurrent variations in soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance and stomatal control of transpiration.
This study on a grapevine mapping population shows that isohydric or anisohydric behaviour is under genetic control and is not simply controlled by transpiration response to soil drought.
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