GrapeVision (Genomics of modern and ancient DNA to empower Portuguese grapevine genetic resources) is a 3-year FCT-funded project (PTDC/BIA-FBT/2389/2020), initiated on March 2021.
GrapeVision follows ongoing work on grapevine genomics led by BIOPOLIS-CIBIO researchers. It leverages the center’s multidisciplinarity and expertise in genomics and bioinformatics, to address multiple aspects of grapevine biodiversity. GrapeVision is currently conducting an in-depth characterization of the Portuguese genome landscape, anchored on the excellent work produced by team members INIAV/PNAC and ISA/PORVID, curators of Portugal’s largest repositories of grapevine germplasm. |
The breakthrough idea is to use cutting-edge genome-level (NGS) approaches for modern and ancient DNA, designed to understand the structure of modern national varieties, quantify the genetic diversity encased in different clones of a single variety, and tackle the importance of the Iberian Peninsula in grapevine domestication. GrapeVision is addressing changes in grapevine since earlier cultivation to the present time, helped by historians and archaeobotanists from UCoimbra and BIOPOLIS-CIBIO, who have a strong track record of studying multiple historical periods.