Development of an international grapevine identification system

Abstract

This project follows on from the successful development of the DNA typing system in the experimental phase through projects funded by the GWRDC, the DFRDC and CSIRO and development of the technologies ready for commercial trial, in a project as part of the CRC for Viticulture, funded by the Wine Australia and the CSIRO. On completion of these two projects a robust and reproducible DNA typing system had been completed for identification of grapevine varieties and all the major grapevine varieties used in wine, dried fruit, table grape production and including the rootstocks used by grapevine growers had been DNA typed and their DNA type recorded on a database. The analytical and developmental requirements of the database were such that conventional PC's were unsuitable for further manipulation and management of the data and this project was developed to provide a UNIX computing environment.

Summary

This project was funded by GWRDC, the CRC for Viticulture and CSIRO to purchase a UNIX Computer System for storage and manipulation of the DNA typing database and the addition of ampelographic material as it becomes available.

The computer has been installed and the first trial of the DNA typing system has been completed by the Australian Wine Research Institute. A second trial program will be run during the 1996/97 season and it is planned that further development of the grapevine identification system should be funded from testing revenue.