Discrimination of an Untouched Autochthonous Grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) Population by Morphological Markers and Multivariate Analyses

Abstract

Since the demand for wine types and table grapes is continuously changing, recognition of autochthonous varieties is gaining more importance in obtaining unique tastes. This study evaluated some prominent ampelographic features to discriminate an autochthonous grape population. Relationships between morphometrics, berry chemicals, and skin color were assessed by heatmap analysis using Pearson's pairwise correlations. Berry weight and seed number were significant berry characteristics for distinguishing individuals with relatively high CVs (coefficient of variances) (38.29% and 35.17%), varying between the means of 1.29 g and 9.48 g for berry weight and 0.89 and 5.50 pieces for seed number. Stalk length was the most diverse bunch trait, with a CV of 55.10%. Rose-colored genotypes had larger berries than black and green/yellow-colored genotypes. Correlations between morphometrics and color traits were considerably different according to berry color. A great diversity among the autochthonous grape population, even among the same named individuals, was revealed by multivariate analysis. The genetic richness and associations across traits discovered in this study will be helpful in future grapevine selection breeding studies.