The Micropropagation Potential and Regenerative Ability from Somatic Embryos of “Vitis Vinifera” Ssp. “Sylvestris” (Gmel.)

Abstract

During the last hundred years, the habitat of V. sylvestris, as wild grapevines, has been reduced due to pathogens or intensive rivers and forests management. So, in our days, it is present only in certain ecosystems in Romania. The recent papers underlined that Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris is one of the critically endangered subspecies and its conservation in germplasm collection could be an important source of adaptive traits for cultivated grape vines. In a previous paper was presented the morphological characterization based on OIV descriptors of the individual plants collected from some wild grapevine populations growing along the Danube River, providing valuable information. The aim was to establish an ex situ collection with plant material tested and confirmed as virus-free and to use it as possible starting plant material for further breeding of grapevine cultivars and rootstocks.