Grape cultivars; microsatellite; Switzerland; Vitis vinifera; pedigree

COST-Action 858 - Biotic and abiotic stress Grapevine Defence Mechanism and Grape Development

The aim of the present project is to investigate unknown parentages and other genetic relationships of ancient or autochthonous grape varieties from Switzerland with microsatellites, the best suited markers for parentage and pedigree reconstruction. The present project is an extension as well as a fruitful usage of the Swiss Vitis Microsatellite Database project financed by SER/SBF. Discovery of the parentages and pedigrees will provide a better knowledge of Swiss grapes origins, offer new tools in disease resistance researches and help promoting regional inheritance in Switzerland.

Full name of research-institution/enterprise: Université de Neuchâtel Laboratoire de botanique évolutive (EFOLAB) NCCR "Plant Survival"

AT, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, ES, FR, GR, HU, IL, IT, LU, PL, PT, RS, SE, SI

Over 220 distinct grape varieties are currently cultivated in Switzerland, an important figure with respect to the 15'000 ha of the vineyards area. Among those, thirty-four indigenous or traditional grape cultivars from Switzerland and 27 putatively related cultivars have been genotyped at 50 microsatellite markers. Kinship analysis was carried out by calculating the pairwise coefficients of identity-by-descent (two-gene ? and four-gene ?) and relatedness (r) as well as by performing likelihood ratios between competing relationship categories in order to assign pairs to their most likely relationship category (1°, 2° or 3°). The following parent-offspring relationships of several traditional or autochtonous Swiss varieties were strongly supported: 'Blanc de Saillon', 'Ebling', 'Findling von Mühen' and 'Räuschling Weiss' with 'Gouais Blanc'; 'Mondeuse Noire' and 'Viognier' with 'Mondeuse Blanche'; 'Hitzkirchler' and 'Bondoletta' with both 'Completer' and 'Bondola'; 'Diolle' with 'Rèze'. A publication entitled 'Pedigrees de tous les cépages cultivés en Suisse' is in preparation.

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. +41 31 322 74 82 Swiss Project-Number: C06.0020