Development of a rapid genetic system for linking traits to genes

This report describes the successful development of a rapid method for linking traits to DNA markers and genes using a new grapevine type known as a microvine.

The grapevine plant has remained relatively unimproved for hundreds of years due in part to the difficulty of developing improved varieties. The plant is not conducive to genetic studies and as a result our knowledge of the inheritance and genetics of key traits responsible for vine performance, berry composition and wine attributes is very limited. Despite this there has been a rapid increase in grapevine genomic knowledge over the last 10 years, including the availability of a grapevine draft genome containing approximately 30,000 genes. However the grapevine plant still remains the limiting factor in applying this to grapevine improvement and the advancement of scientific knowledge.

Grapevine is a difficult plant for genetic studies due to the size of the plant requiring plant populations to be maintained in the field, the long generation time (often three or more years), and the absence of genotypes for advanced strategies for linking genes to traits. Removal of these major limitations of long life cycle, need for field plantings and unique genotypes has now been achieved by the development of a unique genetic system based on a new grapevine form known as a microvine.