Event Date
Luis Diaz-Garcia
Assistant Professor, Viticulture and Enology
“Grapevine Rootstock Breeding at UC Davis”
Most of the worldwide grape production relies on rootstocks tolerant to biotic and abiotic stresses in the soil. In addition, rootstocks enable the cultivation of high-quality grapes across diverse soil conditions and allow growers to manage productivity. Many Vitis species have potential as rootstocks; however, about 90% of the grapevines worldwide are grafted onto fewer than 10 commercial rootstocks, most of which originate from only three species. During this talk, I will discuss our efforts in grape breeding at UC Davis aimed at integrating greater genetic diversity into the development of new, more resilient rootstocks. I will also cover the various approaches, including phenomics and genomics, that are instrumental in accelerating our breeding pipelines.