A multivariate approach for the ampelographic discrimination of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) cultivars: application to local Syrian genetic resources

S Khalil,A Forneck,F Hamed,J Tello

doi:10.1007/s10722-017-0561-x

Abstract

Due to its unique historical and geographical emplacement, grapes have been cultivated in the Syrian Arab Republic for more than 5000 years, so the characterization of its local genetic resources is paramount for understanding grapevine natural diversity. In this work, different local Syrian table grape cultivars were characterized for 42 traits related to plant phenology, shoot, leaf, cluster, berry and juice composition. A series of multivariate analyses were sequentially performed, and five highly-discriminant traits were identified as the most discriminant ones (shoot internode length, berry weight, berry elongation, 100-seed weight and juice titratable acidity). The clustering of the cultivars according to these five traits revealed that some local Syrian cultivars share similitude with some worldwide grown cultivars, suggesting their potential as new genetic resources for the development of new high-quality table grape varieties, and indicating the needing of specific preservation programs aimed to avoid the loss of endangered genetic local resources. Besides, the statistical multivariate pipeline followed in this work is proposed as an efficient one for the selection of ampelographic traits for the discrimination of grapevine cultivars.

Highlights

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most ancient cultivated fruit trees in the world
Muslim influence led to the abandonment of winemaking practices, and farmers focused on the growing of local grape cultivars for fresh fruit and raisins production, which are still cultivated by the Syrian population
A set of local cultivars prospected in the Syrian Arab Republic and maintained in the Grapevine Collection of the Jillin Research Station (ACSAD) have been analyzed

Summary

Introduction

Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is one of the most ancient cultivated fruit trees in the world. It is suggested that the earliest domestication processes and the beginning of winemaking took place in the region comprised between the Black and Caspian seas between the seventh and the fourth millennia BC (McGovern et al 1996). This fact is supported by archeological findings reporting the recovering of grape remains (mainly seeds, and grape skins and grapevine wood) and jars for wine storage in settlements of Anatolia, the Zagros mountains of Iran, the Caucasus and northern Syria (McGovern et al 1997). The Syrian Arab Republic has a gross production of ca. 200,000 tonnes in 2014 (FAOSTAT) from 46,000 ha of vineyards spread all along the country, in southern and central regions like Homs, Al Suwayda, Al Qunaytirah, Dara’a, Aleppo, Damascus, Hama and the coastal area (Mslmanieh et al 2006)

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