Large-scale screening of unknown varieties in a grapevine intra-varietal variability collection

¹ LEAF-Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food—Research Center, Associated Laboratory TERRA, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
² Associação Portuguesa para a Diversidade da Videira - PORVID, Lisboa, Portugal
³ Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Viticultura Duriense – ADVID, Vila Real, Portugal
⁴ CoLAB Vines&Wines, ADVID, Vila Real, Portugal
⁵ DNA & RNA Sensing Lab, Polo BioISI, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
⁶ Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Oeiras, Portugal
⁷ Associação Portuguesa de Horticultura, Lisboa, Portugal
⁸ Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Norte, Braga, Portugal
⁹ SOGRAPE Vinhos SA, Avintes, Portugal
¹⁰ Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Centro, Castelo Branco, Portugal
¹¹ Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo, Santarém, Portugal
¹² Associação de Viticultores do Concelho de Palmela – AVIPE, Palmela, Portugal
¹³ Associação Técnica dos Viticultores do Alentejo – ATEVA, Évora, Portugal
¹⁴ Direção Regional de Agricultura e Pescas do Algarve, Faro, Portugal
¹⁵ CE3C- Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract

Since the last decade of the last century, it is known that many old grapevine varieties are descendants of other varieties through natural crossing. Portugal has an important program for the conservation of representative samples of intra-varietal variability of all autochthonous varieties, managed by the Portuguese Association for Grapevine Diversity (PORVID), which makes looking for genotypes with dubious identification an important activity from a perspective of its valorisation. This communication presents the results of the molecular analysis of 5,000 samples (accessions) from the PORVID’s collection, using nine microsatellite loci currently recommended by the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) for genetic grapevine identification. The results obtained confirmed the molecular identity of 4,220 samples corresponding to 214 varieties present in the official list of Portuguese varieties. In 780 samples, 95 profiles with a plural number of accessions revealed not to be listed in the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) database, corresponding to possible varieties either descendent from natural crossing from at least one known parental variety, or from undetermined origin. Furthermore, the need for a comprehensive strategy aimed at uncovering other hidden varieties is discussed to prevent their imminent loss, deepen understanding of their origin, and add economic value and sustainability to the vine and wine sector.