Dear Colleagues,

Great morphological and genetic variability characterizes both the genus Vitis and Vitis vinifera L. subsp. Sativa alone. The number of cultivars remains an estimate. Whereas, there are germplasm collections scattered around the world where it is possible to identify thousands of cultivar and ask for samples.

The above collections can be used for various studies: pedigree studies, gene mutants, breeding, genome editing and so on and so forth.

In order to study the importance of a gene or a pool of genes the use of the collections could be of a primary importance because it might allow a first inspection of the  effects on the phenotype.

This Special Issue is focused on the genetics and genomics variability of the Vitis germplasm and the use of collections to understand the current status of genetic diversity analysis, the situation of germplasm collections and advancements in researches that connect genes to phenotype and those to be involved in biotic and abiotic stresses.

The submission of reviews, research articles, and short communications focused on the above topics is welcome.

Dr. Giacomo Morreale
Dr. Carlo Bergamini
Dr. Alessandra Zombardo
Dr. Luca Nerva
Guest Editors

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• Vitis spp
• grapevine genetics
• cultivars
• germplasm collections
• relation of genes to phenotypes
• biotic and abiotic stresses

Title: Recovery, Molecular Characterization, and Ampelographic Assessment of Marginal Grapevine Germplasm from Southern Umbria (Central Italy)
Authors: Alessandra Zombardo
Affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, CREA - Research centre for Viticulture and Enology, Viale S. Margherita, 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Abstract: The protection of grapevine biodiversity and the safeguarding of genetic variability are certainly primary and very topical objectives for wine research, especially in territories historically devoted to viticulture. To assess the autochthonous germplasm of three different districts of Southern Umbria (Central Italy), the plant material of 70 grapevines retrieved in reforested land plots or old vineyards was collected and their genetic identity was investigated using 13 microsatellite markers (SSR). The results revealed the presence of 39 unique genotypes, divided into 25 already known cultivars, and 14 never reported SSR profiles. Most of the grapevine accessions were then vegetatively propagated and cultivated in a vineyard collection both to be saved from extinction and to be evaluated at the ampelographic level. Overall, this work emphasizes the need for recovering the threatened genetic variability that characterizes minor neglected grapevine cultivars or biotypes of Southern Umbria germplasm and the requirement to revalue and exploit the more valuable genetic resources to enhance the local agri-food economy.

Title: Study of Inter- and Intra-varietal Genetic Variability in Sangiovese, Sanforte and Montepulciano Grape Cultivars
Authors: Alessandra Zombardo
Affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, CREA - Research centre for Viticulture and Enology, Viale S. Margherita, 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Abstract: Vitis vinifera is one of the oldest known domesticated fruit-producing crops, which includes a wide number of cultivated varieties further distinguished in biotypes and clones, that are characterized by great morphological and genetic variability. In the past, several objective taxonomic methods have been developed for grapevine identification, but all those approaches have limitations and there are often classification mistakes. At the present, Simple Sequence Repeats (SSR) are the internationally accepted molecular markers for grapevine identification, but even this method does not allow intra-varietal discriminations. In this work, 56 accessions of putative Sangiovese and 14 of putative Montepulciano from different Italian areas were analyzed to have a correct cultivar identification first, and then to study the differences at the intra-varietal level. Two varieties were identified among the first group: 45 accessions turned out to be Sangiovese, while 11 were Sanforte, two traditionally co-existing cultivars in the Sangiovese D.O.C. or D.O.C.G. areas. All Montepulciano accessions were confirmed as true-to-type. The accessions were then investigated using AFLP, SAMPL, M-AFLP, and ISSR molecular markers that correctly distinguished in separated groups Sangiovese, Sanforte, and Montepulciano. Intra-varietal results have highlighted the existence of genetic variability correlated to the different geographic cultivation areas, for each cultivar screened.