Genomic signatures of different adaptations to environmental stimuli between wild and cultivated Vitis vinifera L

Grapes: Wild and cultivated grapevines adapted to different stresses Wild and domesticated grapevine populations display genomic differences that likely arose as a result of evolutionary responses to different environmental pressures. Annarita Marrano of the Edmund Mach Foundation in San Michele All’adige, Italy, and colleagues characterized the genetic diversity found in 44 wild and 48 cultivated accessions of the Eurasian wine grape, Vitis vinifera. They analyzed 54,000 single DNA letters spread across the genome and found evidence that natural wild grapevine populations are on the decline. They also identified several genomic regions related to stress responses that evolved differently in grapes bred to live in vineyards and their wild relatives. The findings suggest the need to conserve wild grapevines, which may harbor genes encoding resilience factors that could aid in the development of hardier wine-producing crops in the future.