Breeding Rootstocks for California Vineyards

Andy WalkerViticulture & Enology, UC Davis

Acknowledgements• California Grape Rootstock Improvement

Commission• NT, FT, GV Improvement Advisory Board• California Table Grape Commission• American Vineyard Foundation / California

Competitive Grant Program for Research in Viticulture and Enology

• Louis P. Martini Endowed Chair in Viticulture Fund

Walker LabHoward Ferris Liang ZhengJeff Granett Dan Ng Summaira Riaz Chin-Feng HwangRong Hu Rachel GrazianiAllen Liu Kurt KabicaCindy Yip Nina RomeroJeff Wheeler Kevin FortSonet Van Zyl Karl Lund

Walker Lab Research Projects• Rootstocks

– Fanleaf degeneration– Broad and durable nematode resistance– Phylloxera– Nutrient use / salinity

• Pierce’s Disease– Resistance and high fruit quality– Co-select for powdery mildew resistance

• Genetics of resistances/tolerances

Breeding and Genetic Strategies• Evaluate and characterize germplasm• Crosses to develop new varieties and for genetic

analysis• Evaluation of selections in greenhouse and field• Genetic mapping and genomics efforts to allow

marker-aided selection, and localization and characterization of genes

• Perhaps eventual genetic engineering with grape genes

Rootstock Development• 5,000 seedlings from crosses of parents with

strong nematode resistance and ease of propagation

• Those with good horticultural characters were advanced to rooting tests.

• 100 that rooted well from dormant cuttings were advanced to testing against Meloidogyne incognita I3

Rootstock Development• 37 did not allow reproduction (egg mass formation

evaluated with staining) and were advanced to testing against:– Two strains of RKN selected from Harmony

rootstock – HarmA (M. arenaria), HarmC (M. incognita), and Xiphinema index (the dagger nematode vector of GFLV).

Rootstock Development• The 17 that did not form egg masses or galls after

inoculation with these nematodes were tested against a combined inoculum (3 RKN + Xi).

• They were also tested for resistance to the combined inoculum at 26, 28, 30 and 32°C.

• And they were tested against citrus (Tylenchulus semipenitrans), lesion (Pratylenchus vulnus) and ring (Mesocriconema xenoplax) nematodes

Ramsey Riparia Gloire

Rootstock Development• The 5 best were then tested for their ability to support

phylloxera on nodosities.• Rootstock trials with the 17 were planted in Fresno and

Santa Maria. The first Wasco trial was removed.• Released March 31, 2008.• Trials in Wasco and Livingston began in 2008, more

planned for 2009.

NemaRoot, Nemanator, Nema-B-Gone, NemX

Figure 1. Ring nematodes recovered from soils after testing with three Livingston soils

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

Harmony 9365-43 9363-16 Colombard 9365-85 9449-27 St. George 9407-14 8909-05

Nem

atod

es

Soil 1

Soil 2

Soil 3

GR

N-1

GR

N-5

GR

N-3

GR

N-4

GR

N-2

New Rootstock Releases

• Resist 3 strains of root-knot including two that feed on Harmony and Freedom, and Xiphinema index.

• Resist all the above in one inoculum• Resist all the above at high soil

temperatures• And …

New Rootstock SummaryCitrus

NematodeRing

NematodePhylloxera Nodosities

Rooting Depth

GRN-1 R R HR D

GRN-2 MS S HR S

GRN-3 R S R M

GRN-4 R MS R M

GRN-5 R MR MS D

Next Round of Selections (RKN and Xi)

Population Selections Cross

No Galls or

Egg Masses

00-146 101-14 Mgt x 8913-02 4/10 01-101 8913-40 x 1616C 2/3 02-109 101-14 Mgt x 9365-85 4/4 02-112 9317-06 x 9365-85 4/4 02-115 9317-06 x 1616C 5/5 02-122 5BB x 9365-85 2/2 02-135 9365-43 x 1616C 3/3 03-135 9365-43 x acerifolia 9035 1/1

Fanleaf Degeneration

• Disease complex caused by GFLV and vectored by the dagger nematode, Xiphinema index

• One rootstock alternative exists - O39-16 - vinifera x rotundifolia and rotundifolia is the key.

• But phylloxera, root-knot nematode and excessive vigor concerns.

O39-16 as a Nematicide• Xiphinema index does not reproduce on O39-

16 roots• Have a 16 yr old plot in the Alexander Valley

and planted 8 vine x 4 row grid of 275 St. George vines as trap plants

• ELISA sampling of neighboring vines completed -- all negative

Fanleaf Resistant Rootstocks• More Vitis x Muscadinia hybrids have

been made to address fanleaf (101-14 x Trayshed promising)

• 8909-05 (rup x rot) looks very promising - resists phylloxera, 3 strains of RKN, X. index, lesion, citrus AND ring nematodes.

Genetic Mapping in 9621 (8909-15 x 8909-17)First maps with RAPDs and AFLPs; Summaira Riaz SSR mapping discovered the parentage mix-up

m-Scu1580

fm-VMC7g30fm-VVIU203f-VMC5g76fm-VMC6a118

f-Vrip9321

m-VVIO5526fm-VMC3a1029m-VVIa2331Sex32

fm-VVMD3439

f-VVIa0151

2

f-Vest-830fm-ctg01935f-VVIN706fm-VVIN9410fm-Vng1g1.112fm-VVIS7015fm-VVIP2616fm-VMC6e117fm-ctg102588218fm-VVIN6422PdR127fm-VNg3h829f-ctg100653032fm-VVIV6934fm-VMC2a5 f-VVMD2435

fm-VMC5a338m-VMC6c1040m-Vrip11241fm-VVIP2244f-VMC2c345m-VMC9f4 fm-Vvc3447fm-ctg100835954fm-VMC1e1256fm-VMC9c160f-VVIP0564m-VVIQ3265f-Vvc6268fm-Ng1e170

14 19

fm-VVIP170f-VMC9a2.12f-VMC5h116

f-CD00935414m-VMC5e918fm-VMC5d1120fm-VVIV7027fm-VMC3a7.228fm-VVIP3129fm-VVIM0331fm-VVIV3341fm-VNg3a1042fm-West-445XiR1a48fm-VMC5a1050fm-cgf0660A53m-VMC4h960

PdR1

XiR1

Why worry about phylloxera? —Is resistance durable? How does it function?

Phylloxera

• Karl Lund will be studying: the genetics of resistance; and host adaptation to 101-14 Mgt and others

• Have made new populations with vin x rupestris, vin x riparia, vin x berlandieri and vin x cinerea

Salt/Drought Tolerance Studies

• Kevin Fort is studying the genetics of salt/ drought tolerance

• Collect germplasm for study; develop effective screening system; evaluate new species accessions and traditional rootstocks; genetically map salt tolerance

• Determine if salt tolerance and drought tolerance can be uncoupled from root architecture

V. monticola• Dry limestone, very limited

water• Weak vine with broad

adaptability• Roots poorly, may be good for

breeding

V. californica and V. girdiana

Grapevine Canyon, InyoKern, CA

Scotty’s Castle, Death Valley, CA

V. californica and V. arizonica

Lake Mead, NV

Lake Mead, NV

V. arizonica

Mountains south of Las Vegas, NV

Salt flat NW of Las Vegas, NV

Thanks!