The GrapeStress main objective is to address important viticulture problems, such as the massive use of fungicides to fight against fungal pathogens and the need for a sustainable management of water resources. Somaclonal lines obtained in the frame of EditGrape project after in vitro application of a selective pressure, aimed at guiding towards the formation of regenerants with greater tolerance/resistance to stress, represent the starting point of the project. GrapeStress aims at the molecular, physiological and pathological characterization of the obtained somaclones. Plants regenerated in vitro will be acclimatized in greenhouse and will be analyzed by means of eco-physiological measures, drought stress experiments and pathogenicity tests to evaluate resistance to water stress and pathogens and related transcriptomic and epigenetic modifications. A further objective will be to test the use of ‘SIGS – spray-induced gene silencing technology’ for the containment of powdery and downy mildew.
Project Leader: Irene Perrone
IPSP personnel: Giorgio Gambino, Chiara Pagliarani, Paolo Boccacci, Floriana Nuzzo, Amedeo Moine, Walter Chitarra, Luca Nerva.
Start: 08/07/2020
End: 08/01/2023