Genetic diversity and relationships of indigenous and newly bred Bulgarian grape cultivars assessed by nuclear and chloroplast markers

Abstract

<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Aim</strong>: Assessment of the genetic diversity and relationships in a group of 31 Bulgarian grape accessions through microsatellite markers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Methods and results</strong>: Thirty-one accessions, including 20 old rare local and 11 newly bred varieties were characterized through 13 nuclear and 5 chloroplast microsatellite loci. The genetic diversity (0.81±0.01) obtained for the investigated group of cultivars was comparable to those reported for other grapevine germplasms. The low PI value (1.0x10<sup>-16</sup>) allowed proper genetic identification and determination of synonyms. Microsatellite analysis of the 31 accessions resulted in 26 unique genotypes and 2 groups of synonyms. Four cases of supposed synonymy with local Bulgarian and foreign cultivars were rejected. Three chlorotypes, B, C and D, were defined among the studied cultivars, with a prevalence of chlorotype C (62%).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Conclusion</strong>: The high genetic diversity found in the set of old rare grapevines demonstrated their importance as a rich source of alleles for breeding. The pattern of chlorotype distribution observed among local varieties confirmed the previous results and supports the hypothesis of an Eastern origin of local Bulgarian cultivars.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Significance and impact of the study</strong>: The obtained results provide an important support for the preservation of grape biodiversity in Bulgaria as well as for the clarification of genetic relationships between local and foreign cultivars.</p>

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of 18 Bulgarian newly bred grapevine varieties in relation to their resistance to downy mildew

“…Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions were set according to Dzhambazova et al [18]. Forward primers of markers were labelled with 6-FAM, ATTO565, ATTO550 and Yakima Yellow florescent dyes.…”

Identification of Vitis vinifera L. Local Cultivars Recovered in Andalusia (Spain) by Using Microsatellite Markers

“…In Spain, previous to this vineyard restructuring, which begin in the 1970s, all vines were grafted in the field with mass-selected Vitis vinifera material from older vineyards, which often included different varieties [10]. With the aim of preserving grapevine phytogenetic resources, numerous studies on the surveying, localization, characterization, and maintaining of cultivars in germplasm banks are being carried out worldwide [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In Andalusia, a germplasm bank was established in 1940, and it was replanted between 1984 and 1987, and the number of accessions substantially increased [21].…”

Application of bioactive compounds for increasing production of grape planting materials and higher germination of hybrid seeds

“…However, imported varieties are often not adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the wine-growing regions of the Russian Federation, and are often of low quality. [3]. Cultivation of high-priced local breeding grape varieties with increased resistance ability to diseases, phylloxera and frosts shall help to increase the production of grape, stability of ampelocenosis and significantly reduce the pesticide burden on the environment [4].…”