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Among the main challenges in current viticulture, there is the increasing demand for sustainability in the protection from fungal diseases, such as downy mildew (DM) and powdery mildew (PM). Breeding disease-resistant grapevine varieties is a key strategy for better managing fungicide inputs. This study explores the diversity of grapevine germplasm (cultivated and wild) from Caucasus and neighboring areas to identify genotypes resistant to DM and PM, based on 13 Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) loci and phenotypical (artificial pathogen inoculation) analysis, and to identify loci associated with DM and PM resistance, via Genome-Wide Association Analysis (GWAS) on Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) profiles. SSR analysis revealed resistant alleles for 16 out of 88 genotypes. Phenotypic data identified seven DM and 31 PM resistant genotypes. GWAS identified two new loci associated with DM resistance, located on chromosome 15 and 16 (designated as Rpv36 and Rpv37), and two with PM resistance, located on chromosome 6 and 17 (designated as Ren14 and Ren15). The four novel loci identified genomic regions rich in genes related to biotic stress response, such as genes involved in pathogen recognition, signal transduction and resistance response. This study highlights potential candidate genes associated with resistance to DM and PM, providing valuable insights for breeding programs for resistant varieties. To optimize their utilization, further functional characterization studies are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eurasian grapevine (Vitis vinifera), a species cultivated worldwide for high-quality wine production, is extremely susceptible to the agent of downy mildew, Plasmopara viticola. Nevertheless, germplasm from Georgia (Southern Caucasus, the first grapevine domestication centre), characterized by a high genetic variability, showed resistance traits to P. viticola. The cultivar Mgaloblishvili exhibited the most promising phenotype in terms of resistance against P. viticola. Its defence response results in: i) low disease intensity; ii) low sporulation; iii) damaged mycelium; iv) production of antimicrobial compounds such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), whose effectiveness on the pathogen was evaluated by leafdisc assays. At the transcriptomic level, its resistance mechanism is determined by the differential expression of both resistance and susceptible genes. The resistance genes are related to: i) pathogen recognition through PAMP, DAMP and effector receptors; ii) ethylene signalling pathway; iii) synthesis of antimicrobial compounds (VOCs) and fungal wall degrading enzymes; iv) development of structural barriers (cell wall reinforcement). The first putative susceptible gene was the transcription factor VviLBDIf7 gene, whose validation was carried out by dsRNA (double-stranded RNA) assay. In this work, these unique results on plant-pathogen interaction are reviewed with the aim of developing new strategies to control the disease.

One of the results of the “Research Project for the Study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture” promoted by the National Wine Agency of the Republic of Georgia was the production of a bilingual handbook for modern viticulture. The first sections of the handbook were devoted to the agrometeorological analysis of environmental resources and limitations, comprising a general analysis of Georgian climate and agrometeorological features, followed by detailed regional cards. The agrometeorological analysis of Georgia was based on daily data collected by National and International networks for the period 1974-2013. Several agrometeorological indexes were calculated in order to define resources and limitations for viticulture for each viticultural region of Georgia, providing fundamental information for grape-growing and wine-making.

Introgression of genetic resistance to fungal diseases from American and Asian Vitis species traditionally pursued in grape breeding programs, although facilitated by molecular tools, has an impact on wine quality that still slows down development of competitive varieties. A contribution to the genetic improvement of grapevines for resistance to pathogens may come from unexplored genetic resources of the Eurasian Vitis vinifera L. In the present study, a hundred grapevine accessions from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan were genotyped with SSR markers linked to QTLs for resistance to downy and powdery mildew, and with 21 SSR markers widely used for genetic diversity and relationship analysis. Looking at population genetic structure, Armenian and Azerbaijani accessions fell within the same cluster and were included among the Central Asian grape varieties of a homogeneous dataset, while Georgian accessions formed a separate group. Pattern of SSR alleles flanking the locus Ren1 and associated with resistance to Erysiphe necator in 'Kishmish vatkana', 'Dzhandzhal kara' and other Central Asian cultivars were found in three varieties from the Azerbaijani population that reached very high scores when assessed for PM resistance.

In 2014, the National Wine Agency of the Republic of Georgia initiated a three-year “Research Project for the study of Georgian Grapes and Wine Culture. Through collaborative research by Georgian and foreign institutions and researchers, the project aims to: stimulate research of Georgian viticulture and viniculture, through the lens of the country with the earliest tradition of grape domestication and winemaking; and to reconstruct the continuous development of viticulture and wine culture through time. The project advances the study of grape and wine culture by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, including: archaeology, history, ethnography, molecular genetics, biomolecular archaeology, palaeobotany, ampelography, enology, climatology and other scientific fields. These studies are diachronic in their approach, beginning with the oldest Neolithic civilizations, to present day, creating a holistic understanding of the continuity and complexity of Georgian Wine Culture to help popularize Georgian Wine throughout the global wine market.