# Identification and Genetic Analysis of Downy Mildew Resistance in Intraspecific Hybrids of Vitis vinifera L

## TL;DR

Researchers studied grape hybrids to find those resistant to downy mildew, a major grape disease, and found some offspring show stronger resistance than their parents.

## Contribution

The study identifies super-parent disease resistance in Vitis vinifera hybrids and demonstrates the potential of intraspecific hybridization for breeding resistant grape varieties.

## Key findings

- Significant differences in downy mildew resistance were observed among grape varieties and across vintages.
- F1 progeny resistance levels showed maternal dominance and a skewed normal distribution.
- Five hybrid progenies exhibited high resistance both in the field and in vitro.

## Abstract

Downy mildew caused by Plasmopara viticola is an important disease in grape production, particularly in the highly susceptible, widely cultivated Vitis vinifera L. Breeding for disease resistance is an effective solution, and V. vinifera intraspecific crosses can yield progeny with both disease resistance and high quality. To assess the potential of intraspecific recurrent selection in V. vinifera (IRSV) in improving grapevine resistance to downy mildew and to analyze the pattern of disease resistance inheritance, the disease-resistant variety Ecolly was selected as one of the parents and crossed with Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan, and Dunkelfelder, respectively, creating three reciprocal combinations, resulting in 1657 hybrid F1 progenies. The primary results are as follows: (1) significant differences in disease resistance among grape varieties and, significant differences in disease resistance between different vintages of the same variety were found; (2) the leaf downy mildew resistance levels of F1 progeny of different hybrid combinations conformed to a skewed normal distribution and showed some maternal dominance; (3) the degree of leaf bulbous elevation was negatively correlated with the level of leaf downy mildew resistance, and the correlation coefficient with the level of field resistance was higher; (4) five progenies with higher levels of both field and in vitro disease resistance were obtained. Intraspecific hybridization can improve the disease resistance of offspring through super-parent genetic effects, and Ecolly can be used as breeding material for recurrent hybridization to obtain highly resistant varieties.