Open Access

REVIEW

Viticulture: History, Breeding Systems and Recent Developments

José Luis Rodríguez-Lorenzo¹, Bohuslav Janoušek¹, Emilio Cervantes^2,*

1 Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, Brno, 61265, Czech Republic
2 Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA)—Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40, Salamanca, 37008, Spain

* Corresponding Author: Emilio Cervantes. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Adaptation Mechanisms of Grapevines to Growing Environments and Agricultural Strategies)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(9), 2649-2667. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.068936

Received 10 June 2025; Accepted 15 August 2025; Issue published 30 September 2025

Abstract

Grapevine is unique among crops because its domestication resulted not only in new morphological characteristics, but also in altered reproductive mechanisms. Viticulture involves a change from a dioecious to a hermaphroditic mating system, which makes the reproductive system more efficient. In consequence and the fact that it is one of the oldest and most economically important cultivated plants, Vitis vinifera could be defined as an over-domesticated species. Here we review some key aspects in viticulture. The main areas of interest have remained consistent throughout history, including the origin and characterisation of cultivars, resistance to environmental conditions, pests and pathogens, and berry quality. Advances in genomic analysis and epigenetics shed new light on these aspects. Although the vine has a long and complex life cycle, recent haplotype sequencing techniques allow genomic characteristics related to different reproduction processes to be identified. Recent work on haplotype sequencing reveals genomic changes accompanying each reproductive type, providing improved detail about the sex-determining region (SDR). Meanwhile, the application of epigenetic analysis offers new tools for defining varietal characteristics and their responses to changing environmental conditions. However, critical issues, such as differentiating between sylvestris and feral cultivars, remain unclear. Understanding the molecular basis of morphological differences and investigating the epigenetic regulation of gene expression and genome dynamics in response to breeding and environmental factors in this species will be crucial. Seed morphology could help to resolve how to differentiate between wild and feral plants.

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Keywords

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