@Article{phyton.2026.080612,
AUTHOR = {José Luis Rodríguez-Lorenzo, José Javier Martín-Gómez, Ángel Anocibar Beloqui, Félix Cabello Sáenz de Santamaría, Gregorio Muñoz Organero, Ángel Tocino, Emilio Cervantes},
TITLE = {Seed Morphological Changes Associated with the Domestication of <i>Vitis</i> Cultivars},
JOURNAL = {Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/phyton/online/detail/27156},
ISSN = {1851-5657},
ABSTRACT = {<b>Background:</b> The transition from wild <i>Vitis vinifera</i> subsp. <i>sylvestris</i> to cultivated grapes led to major changes in seed shape, known as the “domestication syndrome.” While traditional measurements distinguish these groups, high-resolution geometric analysis provides a more precise way to track domestication and variety stability. <b>Objective:</b> This study uses a multi-parametric approach—combining Fourier descriptors, curvature analysis, and the <i>J</i>-Index—to quantify seed shape variation across 121 <i>Vitis</i> populations. <b>Methods:</b> We analysed 48 varieties, including wild species and three major cultivated lineages (Iberian, Central European, and Muscat). <b>Results:</b> Principal Component Analysis (PCA) successfully separated wild and cultivated groups. The first three components explained 79% of the variation, driven mainly by seed elongation and curvature. The <i>J</i>-Index proved to be a highly stable metric; it remained consistent across different harvest years (2020–2025) for ‘Hebén’ and across different locations for ‘Cabernet Sauvignon.’ Cultivated seeds showed a consistent decrease in solidity and a significant increase in lateral curvature compared to wild seeds. <b>Conclusion:</b> Our findings confirm that the <i>J</i>-Index is a robust tool for identifying grapevine varieties. The stability of these geometric traits across different years and environments suggests that clonal propagation effectively “freezes” the morphological identity of grapevine lineages.},
DOI = {10.32604/phyton.2026.080612}
}