GenUS JL 23-02
Project title:
Speed breeding via the creation of short life cycle microvine plants
Project leaders:
Burger, J and Lashbrooke, J
Institution:
Department of Genetics, Stellenbosch University
Start date:
2023
Project description:
Extracted from the research proposal presented by Dr Lashbrooke and Prof Burger:
Grapevine breeding is time-consuming, largely because the species is a woody perennial with a long-life cycle. The time from seed to seed typically ranges from five to seven years. One way to overcome this problem is the incorporation of “microvine” into breeding programs. Microvine is a grapevine mutant that has a seed-to-seed cycle of about 6 months. Incorporating Microvine will allow the ongoing breeding program to dramatically reduce timelines while building on the knowledge generated in previously funded Winetech projects. Cultivars generated through this approach can be used to dramatically reduce breeding times, accelerating our efforts, and benefiting the industry with novel cultivars in a shorter time. Importantly, novel cultivars bred using this approach will contain no transgenic material, and can be considered non-GMO.