Search

'Regent' is the fungal resistant grapevine cultivar with the highest acreage in Germany and an important resistance donor in international breeding programs. It carries the resistance loci Rpv3.1 as well as Ren3 and Ren9 against downy and powdery mildew, respectively. As the parents of 'Chambourcin', the resistant paternal ancestor of 'Regent', did not coincide with the breeder's information, the germplasm repository of JKI Geilweilerhof was screened to find the missing ancestors. SSR marker analysis revealed that 'Joannes Seyve 11369' and 'Plantet' are the true parents of 'Chambourcin' and not 'Seyve Villard 12-417' and 'Chancellor'. Furthermore, the origin of the resistance loci Ren3 and Ren9 could be traced back to the genotypes 'Seibel 4614' and 'Munson'. Since the breeder Hermann Jaeger mentioned 'Munson' as a direct descendant of Vitis aestivalis Michx. var. linsecomii (Buckley) L. H. Bailey and Vitis rupestris Scheele, one of these wild species might have been the donor of the loci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multitude of diverse breeding goals need to be combined in a new cultivar, which always forces to compromise. The biggest challenge grapevine breeders face is the extraordinarily complex trait of wine quality, which is the all-pervasive and most debated characteristic. Since the 1920s, Germany runs continuous grapevine breeding programmes. This continuity was the key to success and lead to various new cultivars on the market, so called PIWIs. Initially, introduced pests and diseases such as phylloxera, powdery and downy mildew were the driving forces for breeding. However, preconceptions about the wine quality of new resistant selections impeded the market introduction. These preconceptions are still echoing today and may be the reason in large parts of the viticultural community for: (1) ignoring substantial breeding progress, and (2) sticking to successful markets of well-known varietal wines or blends (e.g. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling). New is the need to improve viticulture´s sustainability and to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Climate change with its extreme weather will impose the need for a change in cultivars in many wine growing regions. Therefore, a paradigm shift is knocking on the door: new varieties (PIWIs) versus traditional varieties for climate adapted and sustainable viticulture. However, it will be slow process and viticulture is politically well advised to pave the way to variety innovation. In contrast to the widely available PIWIs, competitive cultivars created by means of new breeding technologies (NBT, e.g. through CRISPR/Cas) are still decades from introduction to the market., (© 2022. The Author(s).)