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.com
Volume 07
Advances in Crop Science and Technology
ISSN: 2329-8863
Agri 2019
August 15-16, 2019
August 15-16, 2019 | Rome, Italy
14
th
International Conference on
Agriculture & Horticulture
MedVitis - Protecting the diversity of Mediterranean Vitis in a changing environment
Aliki Kapazoglou
1
, Georgios Merkouropoulos
1
, Theodora Pitsoli
1
, Demetrios Taskos
1
, Barbara Pipan
2
, Victor Meglič
2
, Lovro Sincovic
2
, Younes Hmimsa
3
,
Salama El Fatehi
3
, Mohammed Ater
3
and
Aicha El Oualkadi
4
1
Institute of Olive Tree, Greece
2
Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Slovenia
3
University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Morocco
4
National Institute of Agricultural Research, Morocco
V
iticulture and wine production are important agricultural activities in Mediterranean countries, such as Greece,
Slovenia and Morocco. In all three countries diverse geographical terrains and microclimates have favoured
wide Vitis diversity and led to local varieties that are well adapted to the specific agro-climatic conditions supporting
sustainable agricultural systems of low inputs. However, introduction of foreign commercial varieties have resulted in
genetic erosion and loss of genetic diversity, calling for collaborative actions to preserve the diversity of Vitis genetic
resources. Moreover, environmental changes accros the Mediterranean region, linked to the the ongoing global
climate change, and the threat of diseases may have a negative impact for Mediterranean viticulture. The project,
‘MedVitis’, within the framework of the ARIMNET2 programme, is an integrated effort by Greek, Slovenian and
Moroccan partners, aiming to protect Mediterranean grapevine biodiversity and enrich national grapevine resources.
It involves phenotypic and molecular characterization of commonly used as well as rare grapevine varieties leading
to proper variety identification, resolving problems of ambiguous varietal identity, and updating national grapevine
databases. Furthermore, exploration and characterization of rare grapevine germplasm will provide knowledge
about varieties with tolerance to the changing climatic conditions observed in these Mediterranean regions, such
as drought, elevated temperature, increased rainfalls, or with resistance to common pathogens, and could promote
sustainable viticulture as less water and/or fungicide usage will be needed. The project ‘MedVitis’ aims to protect the
diversity of grapevine germplasm across the three countries, in order to address more efficiently issues of grapevine
identification, genetic erosion, climate change and Vitis pathogenicity across the Mediterranean basin. Hence,
the research proposed by the project ‘MedVitis’ is expected to contribute to the conservation of Mediterranean
grapevine genetic resources, promote sustainable viticulture in the region, and enhance rural development affecting
the economy and growth of local communities.
Aliki Kapazoglou et al., Adv Crop Sci Tech 2019, Volume 07