This $606,030 federal Project Grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), supports collaborative research to investigate the molecular basis of phenotypic plasticity in grafted grapevines. The project aims to develop an integrated understanding of how the genome of clonally propagated perennial plants like grapevines produces adapted phenotypes from roots to shoots over time and under different environmental conditions. Using an experimental vineyard with a single scion cultivar grafted to three commercial rootstock cultivars across three locations, the researchers will employ an integrative systems biology approach to study plant physiology, leaf/fruit ionomics and metabolomics, wine chemistry, and connections between small RNA, mRNA, and cytosine methylation signatures in shoots and roots. All data generated will be made publicly accessible through long-term repositories. This research, conducted from February 2025 through January 2029, is intended to help plant breeders identify elite grapevine varieties and grape growers improve production across diverse growing regions.
Generated 3/4/25, 4:57 AM