SUPERAMPELO, A SOFTWARE FOR AMPELOMETRIC AND AMPELOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS IN VITIS

Species relationships within the genus Vitis based on molecular and morphological data

The grape genus Vitis L. includes the domesticated V. vinifera, which is one of the most important fruit crop, and also close relatives recognized as valuable germplasm resources for improving cultivars. To resolve some standing problems in the species relationships within the Vitis genus we analyzed diversity in a set of 90 accessions comprising most of Vitis species and some putative hybrids. We discovered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SANGER sequences of twelve loci and genotyped accessions at a larger number of SNPs using a previously developed SNP array. Our phylogenic analyses consistently identified: three clades in North America, one in East Asia, and one in Europe corresponding to V. vinifera. Using heterozygosity measurement, haplotype reconstruction and chloroplast markers, we identified the hybrids existing within and between clades. The species relationships were better assessed after discarding these hybrids from analyses. We also studied the relationships between phylogeny and morphological traits and found that several traits significantly correlated with the phylogeny. The American clade that includes important species such as V. riparia and V. rupestris showed a major divergence with all other clades based on both DNA polymorphisms and morphological traits.

A Review of Ampelometry: Morphometric Characterization of the Grape (Vitis spp.) Leaf

Grape (Vitis spp.) is one of the most important horticultural crops, cultivated worldwide on more than 7.3 million hectares for various purposes such as winemaking, fresh fruit consumption, rootstock, and ornamental plants. Based on the inter- and intraspecific morphological variability, several descriptor lists, manuals and ampelographic studies are available for identification. Among the organs, leaves have the most traits, while the young shoot, bunch and berry are also important in the characterization of the genotypes. Vitis species and cultivars are described by leaf morphological characterization developed in many ways for the identification of genotypes, to clarify synonymies and distinct clones or evaluate the diversity of wild Vitis taxa. Morphometric-also known as ampelometric-evaluation has an extensive background in the literature. However, for some reasons, only a part of the literature is cited, despite its significant scientific value. In this paper, we summarize the efforts of metric characterization of the grapevine leaf with the introduction of the scientific objectives and reviewing the studies showing the innovations in phenotyping during the past 120 years.

The molecular characterization by SSRs reveals a new South Italian kinship and the origin of the cultivar Uva di Troia

Vitis vinifera L. varieties were spread through cuttings following historic migrations of people, trades, or after biological crises due to pests outbreaks. Some today’s varieties could be more than a 1000 years old and, although over the centuries these varieties generated most of the remaining cultivars, their origin could be impossible to track back. The Italian grapevine biodiversity is one of most important, most likely due to its strategic position in the middle of the Mediterranean sea. Unravelling of its structure is challenging because of its complexity and the lack of historical documentation. In this paper molecular data are compared with historical documentations. Simple Sequence Repeats fingerprinting are molecular markers best suited to investigate genetic relationships and identify pedigrees. South-Italian germplasm was studied with 54 nuclear microsatellites. A family was identified, consisting of two parents and three siblings and further genetically characterized with six nuclear and five chloroplast microsatellites and described with ampelographic and phylometric analysis. Although these latter were not informative for the kinship identification. The common Bombino bianco was the female parent and the previously unknown Uva rosa antica was the male parent. Bombino nero, Impigno and the popular Uva di Troia, all typical of the south-east Italy, were the offspring. Further research showed that the Uva rosa antica was a synonym of Quagliano and Bouteillan noir, both minor varieties. Quagliano was considered to be autochthonous of some alpine valleys in the north-west of Italy and Bouteillan noir is a neglected variety of Vancluse in France. This finding uncovers the intricate nature of Italian grape cultivars, considered peculiar of an area, but possibly being the remains of ancient latin founding varieties. Consequently, intriguing new hypotheses are discussed and some conclusions are drawn, based on the peculiar geographical origin of the parents, on the distribution of the offspring, on the chance of a single, and perhaps intentional, crossing event.

Detection of new genetic profiles and allelic variants in improperly classified grapevine accessions

Thirty-seven grapevine accessions, collected in Central Italy, were characterized by morphological and genetic analysis, according to guidelines developed by European Union programs of grapevine research and standardization. Traditional denominations of some sampled varieties were revealed to be incorrect; moreover, 10 synonymies and 12 homonymies were recognized. Ampelographic and ampelometric measurements of leaf characters were performed. These data generated a phenotypic similarity matrix and a relative diagram showing morphological differences between specimens. Many samples presented different morphology even in the presence of the same genotype, probably as a result of various environmental pressures. Grapevines were typed by 12 microsatellite loci and then compared with the CRA-VIT genetic resource database. Twenty-five SSR profiles were clearly identified as well-known cultivars, while nine genotypes did not find a direct correspondence: these samples could represent putative new autochthonous Latial Vitis vinifera cultivars or hybrid varieties. The genetic approach also detected three new (169 and 173 in VVMD27 locus; 179 in ISV2 locus) and seven rare allelic variants. Plant sample classification by oral history, morphological observations, and molecular results were compared and discussed. Scions of samples were planted in the Botanic Garden of the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, to preserve grapevine biodiversity and to protect possible new autochthonous varieties.