Open Access

ARTICLE

Seed Morphological Changes Associated with the Domestication of Vitis Cultivars

José Luis Rodríguez-Lorenzo¹, José Javier Martín-Gómez², Ángel Anocibar Beloqui³, Félix Cabello Sáenz de Santamaría⁴, Gregorio Muñoz Organero⁴, Ángel Tocino⁵, Emilio Cervantes^2,*

1 Plant Developmental Genetics, Institute of Biophysics v.v.i, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Cordel de Merinas, 40, Salamanca, Spain
3 Abadía Retuerta, Sardón de Duero, Spain
4 Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca El Encín, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
5 Departamento de Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Salamanca, Plaza de la Merced 1-4, Salamanca, Spain

* Corresponding Author: Emilio Cervantes. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Genomics and Molecular Breeding of Grapevine and Kiwifruit)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2026, 95(6), 18 https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.080612

Received 12 February 2026; Accepted 25 May 2026; Issue published 29 June 2026

Abstract

Background: The transition from wild Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris 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. Objective: This study uses a multi-parametric approach—combining Fourier descriptors, curvature analysis, and the J-Index—to quantify seed shape variation across 121 Vitis populations. Methods: We analysed 48 varieties, including wild species and three major cultivated lineages (Iberian, Central European, and Muscat). Results: 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 J-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. Conclusion: Our findings confirm that the J-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.

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Keywords

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