The Microvine: A Versatile Plant Model to Boost Grapevine Studies in Physiology and Genetics

The microvine is a grapevine somatic variant. The Vvgai1 mutation results in a miniaturization of the vegetative organs of the plant keeping fruit size intact and a systematic conversion of tendrils into inflorescences. The physiological characterization of the vegetative and reproductive development of the microvine makes it possible to infer kinetic data from spatial phenotypes. This biological model allows experiments on vine and grape development in tightly controlled conditions, which greatly accelerate physiology, molecular biology, as well as genetic studies. After introducing the main biological properties of the microvine, main results from various research programs performed with the microvine model will be presented.