A molecular genetic perspective of reproductive development in grapevine

Abstract

The grapevine reproductive cycle has a number of unique features. Inflorescences develop from lateral meristems (anlagen) in latent buds during spring and summer and enter a dormant state at a very immature stage before completing development and producing flowers and berries the following spring. Lateral meristems are unique structures derived from the shoot apical meristem and can either develop into an inflorescence or a tendril. How the grapevine plant controls these processes at the molecular level is not understood, but some progress has been made by isolating and studying the expression of flowering genes in wild-type and mutant grapevine plants. Interestingly, a number of flowering genes are also expressed during berry development. This paper reviews the current understanding of the genetic control of grapevine flowering and the impact of viticulture management treatments and environmental variables on yield. While the availability of the draft genome sequence of grapevine will greatly assist future molecular genetic studies, a number of issues are identified that need to be addressed--particularly rapid methods for confirming gene function and linking genes to biological processes and traits. Understanding the key interactions between environmental factors and genetic mechanisms controlling the induction and development of inflorescences, flowers, and berries is also an important area that requires increased emphasis, especially given the large seasonal fluctuations in yield experienced by the crop and the increasing concern about the effect of climate change on existing wine-producing regions.

Meteorological Conditions: Influence on Yield, Sanitary Status and Grape Composition

“…Warm temperatures, high solar irradiation and adequate water availability are needed for induction, formation and development of inflorescences, as well as for fruit set [4][5][6]36]. Appropriate water availability favors root activity, which has an essential role in the aforementioned stages [22]. Jones et al [21] reported that temperatures higher than 15ºC favor cell division in the inflorescences.…”

Distribution of major sugars, acids, and total phenols in juice of five grapevine (Vitis spp.) cultivars at different stages of berry development

“…Achievement of the optimum concentrations of these components is governed by viticulture strategies that can be applied to optimize ripening (Coombe and McCarthy, 2000;Carmona et al, 2008), An understanding of the critical accumulation stages of such components during berry maturation is needed to adjust grape growing practices and thus modify wine typology (Conde et al, 2007).…”

Identification of Putative Stage-Specific Grapevine Berry Biomarkers and Omics Data Integration into Networks

“…Berry development involves two sigmoidal growth periods separated by a transition phase known as veraison (Coombe and McCarthy, 2000;Carmona et al, 2008). The first period (formation) is characterized by rapid cell division and growth, embryo development, and the accumulation of malate and other organic acids in the vacuoles (Coombe and McCarthy, 2000;Sweetman et al, 2009).…”