By Ann Perry
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) works closely with the
National Grape and Wine Initiative, a nationwide coalition representing all
segments of the grape industry, to support grape producers nationwide. As
part of this support, ARS scientists are embarking on a study to index the
useful genetic variation of more than 2,000 accessions in the ARS grape
germplasm collection.
ARS plant geneticist Ed Buckler works at the agency's Robert W. Holley
Center for Agriculture and Health (RWHC), formerly the U.S. Plant, Soil and
Nutrition Laboratory in Ithaca, N.Y. He will collaborate with other
scientists to genetically characterize many of the Vitis accessions held in
ARS germplasm collections. ARS is the U.S: Departement of Agriculture's
chief scientific research agency.

Buckler?s research team will locate thousands of single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs) throughout the grape accessions to create a functional
SNP index to thousands of functional variants in the grape genome. SNPs are
DNA sequence variations that occur when a single nucleotide in the genome
sequence is altered. Such genomic variations may hold the key for
controlling variation in traits for enhancing grape quality, such as disease
resistance or better berry color.

RWHC computational biologist Doreen Ware will conduct quality-control
analysis of the grape genomic data. She will use the genomic data and an
estimated 350,000 available grape expressed sequence tags?short snippets of
DNA?to find likely SNPs for further study. This will enable grape
geneticists to start connecting molecular diversity with trait variation.

Other ARS scientists involved in this project include plant
physiologist Leon Kochian, also at RWHC, and plant geneticists Chuck Simon
and Gan-Yuan Zhong. Simon is with the ARS Plant Genetic Resources Unit and
Zhong is with the ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit, both located in Geneva,
N.Y.

Simon will complement the efforts of this research initiative by
expanding and coordinating the evaluation of the grape germplasm collection
for horticulturally important traits. Zhong will use the results of the
research to assist grape breeders and producers in creating more robust and
appealing grape varieties.


[www.ars.usda.gov]