Genetics and Biology of Grapevine

Learning area: Production and quality of grapes
To increase the knowledge of the grapevines physiology in relation to phenology, development and maturation of the fruit, the carbon, nutritional and water balance, in relation to environmental resources and varietal differences.The student will be able to understand the modern methods used in grape breeding, especially those involving the usage of molecular and genomics breeding. The student will acquire competencies and techniques to be used in grape cultivars molecular characterization and breeding. The student will be exposed to the most recent theories about grape domestication supported by molecular evidences. The student will be able to understand the basis of grape breeding through transgenesis and cisgenesis, and next breeding Technologies.

Knowledge of the physiology of grapevine development and fruiting, of the water and mineral nutrition and carbon balance in relation to changing environmental and genetic resources.The student will have to be able to understand the design of experiments in grape breeding programs. To this end, the student will have to master basic genetics, molecular genetics, biochemistry and population genetics. The student will have to be able to critically interpret the experiments in grape breeding using advanced molecular breeding and transgenetic technologies.