Karla Huerta,* Summaira Riaz, Omar Franco-Mora, and Andrew Walker *University of California, Davis, 1273 Farragut Circle, Davis, CA 95618 (kahuerta@ucdavis.edu)

One of the centers of origin for Vitis species is North America. However, little is known about the wild Vitis species inhabiting Mexico. These species possess strong resistance to Pierce’s disease and the dagger nematode, Xiphinema index, and may possess other valuable traits such as drought and salinity resistance. One of the first steps in using this germplasm is to characterize how Mexican species relate to those from the United States. DNA fingerprinting with molecular markers creates a rich genetic resource base to detect and examine genetic diversity in wild Vitis species. This study evaluated 47 wild Vitis accessions from northern and central Mexico acquired from a small germplasm collection in Toluca, Mexico. DNA was extracted and genotyped with a set of 22 nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and the accessions were taxonomically described. The data are being investigated to clarify genetic diversity, population structure, and patterns of gene flow among these accessions. The study will provide new information about the wild grapevines of northern and central Mexico. It will also provide insight into previous studies of Mexican Vitis germplasm collected by H.P. Olmo and how these accessions can be used in breeding programs.

Funding Support: CDFA PD/GWSS Board, ASEV Student Fellowship, CONACYT-UC MEXUS Fellowship