Evaluation of the genetic contribution of local wild vines to European grapevine cultivars.

A population genetics approach was used to assess the role of local wild-vine populations in the domestication and breeding of central and west European grapevine cultivars. The genetic differentiation detected among seven gene pools was low but significant in the nuclear genome and substantial for a chloroplast marker. Genetic distances correlate with geographic distances among regions. The significant differentiation indicates that the rate of gene flow caused by dissemination of cultivated plants was not sufficient to genetically homogenize the cultivars grown in different regions and suggests that local domestication and introgression of wild vines predominated over the introduction of cultivars from more advanced wine-producing regions.