The Vineland Grape Flavor Index - a new objective method for the accelerated screening of grape seedlings on the basis of flavor character

The total volatile exters (TVE) and methyl anthranilate (MA) content of grape cultivars, selections and seedlings including Vineland, Geneva and French hybrids, North American and Vitis vinifera L. cultivars were determined. The results showed that grapes which had labrusca flavor character were high in one or both of these flavor components. Based on these findings, TVE and MA analyses were proposed for the early screening of grape seedlings for labrusca flavor character. The following index was developed: Vineland Grape Flavor Index = MA (ppm) x 100 + TVE (ppm). Seedlings with an index of over 14 would likely have labrusca flavor character. The advantages of the proposed method are objectivity and efficiency of time and labor.Le «Vineland Grape Flavor Index» -une nouvelle méthode objective pour le triage précoce de plants de vigne basée sur l'arômeNous avons mesuré les esters volatiles totaux et l'anthranylate de méthyle dans le jus de raisins de certains cépages sélectionnés et de jeunes plants issus de croisement. Les cépages étaient soit des hybrides nouveaux provenant de Vineland, de Geneva et de France, soit des hybrides nord-américains, soit des Vitis vinifel"a L. Les résultats ont montré que les raisins possédant l'arôme «foxé» typique des labruscas contiennent un taux élevé de l'un ou des deux composés chimiques. De plus, faites sur les premiers raisins issus d'un croisement, ces analyses permettent de déceler les variétés foxées. Nous proposons l'indice suivant: Vineland Grape Flavor Index (VGFI) = anthranylate de méthyle (ppm) x 100 + esters volatiles totaux (ppm). Toute valeur supérieure à 14 est généralement associée à un arôme «foxé» pouvant être perçu par olfaction. A part son objectivité, la méthode permet d'économiser temps et travail

The heritability of methyl anthranilate and total volatile esters in Vitis spp. hybrids

Two grapevine seedlings, V. 72181 and V. 72182, selected for extremely high methyl anthranilate (MA) and total volatile esters (TVE) content, were selfed to create families 8020 and 8021 respectively, to test the inheritance of these two components of labrusca flavour character. REYNOLDS et al. (1982) had postulated a three-gene, dominant and complementary system (M, A, F) for MA and a two-gene dominant and complementary system (T, V) for TVE. Families 8020 and 8021 segregated 3:1 for MA, indicating only one heterozygous locus for MA in the parents. This would question REYNOLDS' assignment of genotypes for the grandparents of these two families and would suggest a more complex environmentally influenced system. The TVE segregation patterns followed REYNOLDS' hypothesis and segregated 3:1 for one heterozygous locus

Revitalizing Asia's irrigation: to sustainably meet tomorrow's food needs

Irrigated farming / Food security / Irrigation management / Participatory management / Water users associations / Public sector / Private sector / Farmer managed irrigation systems / Surface irrigation / Pumps / Groundwater irrigation / Water productivity / Models / Reservoirs / Canals / Tanks / Irrigation programs / Climate change / Water conservation / Asia

A Three-Component Gene Expression System and Its Application for Inducible Flavonoid Overproduction in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana

Inducible gene expression is a powerful tool to study and engineer genes whose overexpression could be detrimental for the host organisms. However, only limited systems have been adopted in plant biotechnology. We have developed an osmotically inducible system using three components of plant origin, RD29a (Responsive to Dehydration 29A) promoter, CBF3 (C-repeat Binding Factor 3) transcription factor and cpl1-2 (CTD phosphatase-like 1) mutation. The osmotic stress responsible RD29a promoter contains the CBF3 binding sites and thus RD29A-CBF3 feedforward cassette enhances induction of RD29a promoter under stress. The cpl1-2 mutation in a host repressor CPL1 promotes stress responsible RD29a promoter expression. The efficacy of this system was tested using PAP1 (Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1) transgene, a model transcription factor that regulates the anthocyanin pathway in Arabidopsis. While transgenic plants with only one or two of three components did not reproducibly accumulate anthocyanin pigments above the control level, transgenic cpl1 plants containing homozygous RD29a-PAP1 and RD29a-CBF3 transgenes produced 30-fold higher level of total anthocyanins than control plants upon cold treatment. Growth retardation and phytochemical production of transgenic plants were minimum under normal conditions. The flavonoid profile in cold-induced transgenic plants was determined by LC/MS/MS, which resembled that of previously reported pap1-D plants but enriched for kaempferol derivatives. These results establish the functionality of the inducible three-component gene expression system in plant metabolic engineering. Furthermore, we show that PAP1 and environmental signals synergistically regulate the flavonoid pathway to produce a unique flavonoid blend that has not been produced by PAP1 overexpression or cold treatment alone