Evaluation of the genetic contribution of local wild vines to European grapevine cultivars

A population genetics approach is used to assess the role of local wild vine populations (Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris) in the domestication and breeding of Central and West European grapevine cultivars (from Austria and Germany, France, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Spain and Portugal). The genetic differentiation detected among the seven grapevine gene pools was low but significant in the nuclear genome (FST of 0.05), and substantial for a chloroplast marker (FST of 0.30). Genetic distances correlate with geographic distances between regions. The significant differentiation indicates that the rate of gene flow caused by dissemination of cultivated grapevine plants was not sufficient to genetically homogenize the cultivars grown in different regions, and suggests that local domestication and introgression of wild vines predominated over the introduction of cultivars from more advanced wine producing regions.