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For the first time in Europe, vines that have been bred using New Genetic Technology (NGT) were planted on the campus of the University of Verona in San Floriano in Valpolicella.
The Chardonnay vines are expected to be significantly less susceptible to Downy Mildew. They are the result of the Vitea research project by the Agricultural Genetics working group at the Biotechnology Institute of the University of Verona, led by Mario Pezzotti and the university spin-off Edivite.
“The challenges of the future primarily concern sustainability and must be viewed in light of climate change: Are the varieties we use, which are identity-forming for our regions, ready for these challenges? One solution could be the NGT technique, which allows for the preservation of the genetic identity of the varieties by only changing specific traits to enhance resistance. I consider this a promising path for the future of viticulture,” says Giovanni Battista Tornielli, Professor of Viticulture at the University of Padua and scientific advisor to the project.
“This technology has revolutionized the way we can access the genetic material and has made it significantly more precise and adaptable,” explains Sara Zenoni, Professor of Agricultural Genetics at the University of Verona and co-founder of Edivite. After years of research, Zenoni and her colleagues were able to regenerate a vine from a single cell for the first time in 2019. At the end of 2020, the spin-off was founded, and in 2022 the first NGT vine was created, which exhibited a specific mutation in the DMR6 gene. This makes it resistant to Downy Mildew.
In New Genetic Techniques (NGT), also known as “gene scissors” or Crispr/Cas9, certain traits are enhanced or switched off through direct modification of the plants' genetic material. This targeted intervention is intended to lead to rapid breeding results. Under current legislation, genome editing of plants is subject to the regulations for genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Therefore, field trials and cultivation cannot be conducted freely. However, field trials are a necessary step in agricultural research following the laboratory and greenhouse phase. It was only through a change in Italian law in May 2023 that it became possible to experiment with NGT vines in the open field under strict conditions.
(ru / Millevigne)