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Societal Impact StatementThe innumerable effects of terroir—including climate, soil, microbial environment, biotic interactions, and cultivation practice—collectively alter plant performance and production. A more direct agricultural intervention is grafting, in which genetically distinct shoot and root genotypes are surgically combined to create a chimera that alters shoot performance at a distance. Selection of location and rootstock are intentional decisions in viticulture to positively alter production outcomes. Here, we show that terroir and rootstock alter the shapes of grapevine leaves in commercial vineyards throughout the California Central Valley, documenting the profound effects of these agricultural interventions that alter plant morphology. SummaryEmbedded in a single leaf shape are the latent signatures of genetic, developmental, and environmental effects. In viticulture, choice of location and rootstock are important decisions that affect the performance and production of the shoot. We hypothesize that these effects influence plant morphology, as reflected in leaf shape.We sample 1879 leaves arising from scion and rootstock combinations from commercial vineyards in the Central Valley of California. Our design tests 20 pairwise contrasts between Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay scions from San Joaquin, Merced, and Madera counties from vines grafted to Teleki 5C, 1103 Paulsen, and Freedom rootstocks.We quantify clear differences between Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay leaves. However, we also detect a separate, statistically independent source of shape variance that affects both Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay leaves similarly. We find that this other shape difference is associated with differences in rootstock and location.The shape difference that arises from rootstock and location affects the basal part of the leaf near the petiole, known as the petiolar sinus, and affects its closure. This shape effect is independent from previously described shape differences that arise from genetic, developmental, or size effects.
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This content will become publicly available on October 23, 2026
Genetic regulation of leaf morphology in own-rooted and grafted vines of an F1 rootstock population
Understanding the genetic basis of leaf size and shape is essential for evaluating and selecting for plant adaptability and performance in variable and shifting climatic conditions. This study maps the leaf size and shape phenotypic variation as influenced by the genetic architecture of a rootstock population and its conferred influence on these traits in a common scion. The influence of the root system genotype was studied using two different presentations of an F1 rootstock population (F1_Vruprip;V. rupestrisScheele ‘B38’ (USDA PI#588160) XV. ripariaMichx. ‘HP1’ (USDA PI#588271)); 1) the F1_Vruprip grapevine progeny on their own roots and 2) a F1_Vruprip cohort that was grafted with the common scion scion 'Marquette'. Three leaf positions (apical, middle, and basal) were sampled in both presentations at two timepoints in two consecutive growing seasons. A twenty-one-point leaf morphological landmark coordinate analysis was conducted, and ten leaf size and six derived shape phenotypes were used for QTL mapping. Genetic analysis identified five distinct hotspots associated with size-related leaf area attributes in own-rooted and grafted vines. The identification of multiple leaf-growth-associated pathways in these hotspot regions strengthened the correlation between genetics and phenotypic traits. Shape related QTL accounted for 12-48% of the shape phenotypic variation but did not cluster as QTL hotspots. Three QTL hotspots captured the genetic influence of the rootstock conferred onto the scion leaf area traits. The results showed that the leaf position and the rootstock population’s genetic composition significantly impacted leaf morphological attributes and that there was a measurable rootstock genotype influence conferred on the grafted scion leaves. This reveals the genetic loci and gene pathways underlying leaf morphological phenotypes in own-rooted progeny and also verifies the potential of rootstock genetics to confer modulation of scion canopy features, providing greater potential to select for climate-resilient grapevines.
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- PAR ID:
- 10657860
- Publisher / Repository:
- Frontiers in Plant Science
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Plant Science
- Volume:
- 16
- ISSN:
- 1664-462X
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- grapevine rootstocks leaf area Marquette QTL mapping genetic regulation V. rupestris V. riparia
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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