Rootstock effects on scion phenotypes in a ‘Chambourcin’ experimental vineyard

Abstract

Horticulture: dissecting the effects of grafting Researchers in the US have uncovered how rootstocks affect scions following grafting, which will help to develop more resilient crops. A team led by Allison Miller of Saint Louis University grafted the ‘Chambourcin’ grape variety onto three different rootstocks and investigated the effect on leaf shape, ion concentration, and gene expression in the scion. They discovered that the rootstock influenced how leaf shape changed in response to different irrigation conditions. A similar irrigation-dependent effect of rootstock was found for the ion composition in the shoot. The team also identified roughly 100 genes with altered expression in each of the grafted vines, including five genes which were altered by all three graft combinations. These findings are a first step toward understanding the relationship between rootstocks and scions and modulating it to produce crops better adapted to challenging environments.