Efficient Assessment and Large-Scale Conservation of Intra-Varietal Diversity of Ancient Grapevine Varieties: Case Study Portugal

Abstract

There are thousands of ancient grapevine varieties in Europe, each one having a high level of intra-varietal diversity with regard to important economic traits (yield, soluble solids content, acidity, anthocyanins, and others). However, this potential has become exposed to a process of genetic erosion since the middle of the last century. The main objective of this work is to present experimental strategies for conservation and utilization of intra-varietal diversity. A concrete example is given about the actions performed in Portugal since 1978. Two main approaches for the conservation of intra-varietal diversity were performed: (1) strict conservation (in pots and in the field without experimental design) for future generations; and (2) conservation and, simultaneously, evaluation of the intra-varietal variability for selection to fulfil the immediate needs of the grape and wine sector (in the field with experimental design). More than 30,000 accessions of Portuguese autochthonous varieties are conserved. Using the theory of mixed models, intra-varietal diversity of the yield was found for the 59 varieties studied. The conservation and the evaluation of the intra-varietal diversity for quantitative traits will allow to extract high economic value, as well as to ensure its utilization to meet the objectives of the vine and wine sector.

Strategies and methods for conserving and exploring the intra-varietal genetic diversity of ancient grapevine varieties

“…This work comprises a network of field trials planted all over the country and an Experimental Centre for the Conservation of Grapevine Diversity of the Portuguese Association for Grapevine Diversity (PORVID), which is a farm dedicated to the conservation of the intra-varietal diversity of all autochthonous Portuguese varieties. At present, more than 30,000 genotypes of at least 218 identified varieties are conserved [14], and the goal of conserving 50,000 is set to be reached within 4 years.…”

“…The predicted genetic gains of the polyclonal selected material for important traits have been described in several works [10,11,13,14,31]. For example, with the polyclonal selection in Portuguese grapevine varieties, predicted genetic gains from 5.9% to 46.0% for yield, 2.8 to 13.2% for soluble solids, 2.0% to 28.3% for acidity, and 2.0% to 16.4% for anthocyanins have been obtained [11,31].…”

“…However, these limitations regarding the applicability of certain modern genetic improvement techniques to grapevine varieties do not apply to other more classical techniques with still largely unexploited potential. A typical case is that of direct selection (according to various methodologies) applied to the intra-varietal diversity of ancient varieties, a type of diversity that began to be perceived in the 1940s [7][8][9] and that can be exploited today through efficient methodologies [10][11][12][13][14].…”

Morphological and Genetic Clonal Diversity within the ‘Greco Bianco’ Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Variety

“…In this work, we evaluated the on-farm intra-varietal diversity of the traditional ‘Greco’ grapevine in the PDO area. Previous studies investigated the clonal diversity present in plants collected in ample areas [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Although the long history of cultivation and farmer-to-farmer exchange (as an alternative to the use of certified material) may allow for a more diverse population [ 33 ], it is also expected that the propagation of a relatively reduced number of mother plants, along with the more recent pressure to comply with production and processing rules, will restrain the clonal diversity in the PDO areas.…”

Genetic and Epigenetic Responses of Autochthonous Grapevine Cultivars from the ‘Epirus’ Region of Greece upon Consecutive Drought Stress

“…Moreover, the emerging need to identify genetic material with high fruit quality and unique wine characteristics has intensified the conservation of ancient grapevine genetic material and indigenous cultivars, not only in gene bank collections but also in field collections. In several cases, special care was taken in relation to their sanitary status [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. In Greece, during the period 1960–1980, intense cultivation of only specific Greek cultivars and the dominant foreign ones resulted in a drastic limitation of the cultivation and under-utilization of the many autochthonous cultivars, leading to significant genetic erosion of biodiversity [ 7 ].…”