Cgr1, a ripe rot resistance QTL in Vitis amurensis ‘Shuang Hong’ grapevine

Abstract

Grapevine: Genomic region linked to fungal resistance in Chinese varietal Researchers in China have discovered the first region of the grapevine genome known to confer resistance to ripe rot, a fruit disease caused by fungal pathogens. A team led by Shiren Song and Jiang Lu from Shanghai Jiao Tong University crossbred a European grape species that’s susceptible to ripe rot with a Chinese grape species that’s resistant to the disease. They inoculated the progeny’s leaves with the fungus and searched for genetic differences that could explain variation in rot symptoms. In this way, the researchers identified a segment of chromosome 14 from the Chinese Amur grape, Vitis amurensis ‘Shuang Hong’, that accounted for about 20% of difference in resistance capacity between the two grape species. This information could help breeders select more rot-resistant grapevines in the future.