The CTPS Vine Section

At its meeting on 10 December 2024, the CTPS Vine Section addressed two subjects linked to the current drive to obtain new vine varieties in response to the contemporary challenges of climate change and the reduction in the use of plant protection products. A large number of new varieties, many of them resistant to various diseases, are currently being studied by the CTPS with a view to their inclusion in the Official Catalogue.

The first issue is the denomination of a new variety. For vines, the issue of the name of a variety is crucial, as bottles of wine may carry the name of the variety or its synonym. Some old varieties are world-renowned for their organoleptic qualities and feature on many bottles of wine. Good practice in denominating new varieties was discussed at the CTPS Vine Section. In the case of new varieties offering resistance, the French wine industry is considering whether it should be possible to use some of the names of the emblematic varieties used in cross-breeding to obtain new varieties offering resistance.

The second subject studied by the CTPS Vine Section was the introduction into the Technical Regulations for examining varieties and approving clones of the technique for genetic determination of health status using high throughput sequencing (HTS). The Vine Section of the CTPS validated an experiment to compare the official indexing method with this new high-throughput genomic technique. Indexing is a biological technique that involves observing any symptoms using a sensitive indicator variety grafted onto the material to be tested. As the HTS technique was approved by EPPO in 2024, the CTPS Vine Section is considering speeding up analyses prior to registration, given the large number of varieties in the running for registration. Indeed, the HTS technique would make it possible to obtain health status results in 3 months rather than 3 years, as is currently the case with indexing.