A Genomic Approach to the Identification of the Genetic and Environmental Components Underlying Berry Quality in Grapevine (GrapeGen)
Understanding the interaction between the genome and environment in determining berry quality traits in both table and wine grapes.
| Project Leaders | Jose Martinez-Zapter |
|---|---|
| Project Co-Investigators | Marco Marra , Steven Jones , Steve Lund, Joerg Bohlmann , Patricia Bowen, Robert Olafson |
| Involved Organizations |
Centro Nacional de Biotenologia
Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre
University of British Columbia
Pacific Agri-food Research Centre
|
| Funding Agencies |
Genome Spain
Genome Canada
|
Overview
The
world has approximately 7.4 million hectares of vineyards. Table grape and wine
sales contribute significantly to the economies of major wine producing
countries. The table grape and wine industries touch issues of land, food and
community through production, marketing, agri-tourism and general contribution
to economic diversity and well-being.
Spain
has more than 1.2 million hectares or approximately 1/7 of the total world
grown surface mainly dedicate to wine production. Furthermore, with more than
50,000 hectares of table grape, Spain
is the second European producer after Italy,
with most of this production being dedicated to the foreign market. New
varieties are being grown in Spain
and need to adapt to the Spanish environmental and growing conditions resulting
in their production sometimes not being economically profitable.
Canada’s
economic interest in grape production lies in its crafting of high quality
wines. Canada
is the youngest wine-producing region in the world; however, the wine industry
in Canada
has developed rapidly over the past 10 years, primarily in Ontario
and British Columbia (BC). In addition to producing the finest icewines in the
world, Canada
is gaining acclaim as a low volume producer of high quality, award winning
wines. Quality of these varieties need to be maintained.
Quality
and safety are two major keywords in wine production and represent the general
trend in this area. The current challenges to grape production in Spain
and Canada
could be solved with a better understanding of the biological processes
underlying quality traits of the berries. Given the recent advances in genomic
technologies and the completion of the sequence of two plant genomes, a genomic
approach seems to be the most reliable strategy to rapidly gain biological
information that can be applied to the development of new cultivars and the
improvement of production techniques. The significance of a genomic approach to
speed the biological understanding of grapevine has been recognized by
scientists working in different producing countries worldwide.
The
overall goal of the project is to understand the interaction of the genome and environment in determining
berry quality traits in both table and wine grapes, in particular the two major
cultivars, Muscat
Hamburg
and Cabernet Sauvignon. The achievement of our major goal is based on three
specific objectives:
1. Establish genomic resources for gene and protein discovery associated with berry quality traits in V. vinifera
2. Establish resources for functional analyses related to berry quality traits in V. vinifera
3. Elucidate cell signaling and metabolic pathways underlying berry development and quality traits and predict how these pathways are modified by microclimate and common viticultural practices as well as by genetic differences among grapevine cultivars.
Contact Information
For all project related inquires please contact us.
Robyn Roscoe, Project Team Leader
Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency
Email: rroscoe@bcgsc.ca
Phone: 604-707-5963 x 5436
Fax: 604-876-3561