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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Fwd: Tiny Grape Has Big Role in Science

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  • From: "Lon J. Rombough" <lonrom@hevanet.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Fwd: Tiny Grape Has Big Role in Science
  • Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:48:57 -0800

That's a sport of Pinot Meunier. It wouldn't be hardy to much better than -5 or -10. On the other hand, it's so small you could grow it in a pot with no trouble.
-Lon Rombough
Grapes, writing, consulting, my book, The Grape Grower, at http://www.bunchgrapes.com Winner of the Garden Writers Association "Best Talent in Writing" award for 2003.
On Dec 21, 2006, at 1:21 PM, mIEKAL aND wrote:

Anyone growing this? Will it make it in Zone 4 WI?

Begin forwarded message:

From: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>
Date: December 21, 2006 6:03:33 AM CST
To: ARS News subscriber <memexikon@mwt.net>
Subject: Tiny Grape Has Big Role in Science
Reply-To: ARS News Service <NewsService@ars.usda.gov>

STORY LEAD:
New Dwarf Type May Be a Giant of Grape Research
___________________________________________

ARS News Service
Agricultural Research Service, USDA
Luis Pons, (301) 504-1628, luis.pons@ars.usda.gov
December 21, 2006
--View this report online, plus any included photos or other
images, at www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr
___________________________________________

Really big things may come from Pixie, a very small grape recently
released by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

The seeded black fruit of this grape line is not meant for eating.
Instead, the variety's novel traits make it ideal for genetics,
genomics, breeding and other research that can lead to new breeding
lines or cultivars that grape consumers will love.

Pixie fits well into its classification as a dwarf variety.
According to Peter Cousins--the geneticist in the ARS Grape
Genetics Research Unit at Geneva, N.Y., who helped develop it--
mature clusters of Pixie typically measure slightly less than four
inches long. He said that a Pixie grapevine can be grown in a
coffee cup and still produce some grapes.

This characteristic reduces by about 50-fold the amount of space
needed for grapevine experimentation, as Pixie vines can be grown
in the greenhouse to maturity without ever needing to be planted in
a vineyard.

But what really makes the new grape line special is its ability to
initiate fruit year round. In fact, according to Cousins, it's
typical to observe flower buds, blooms, immature fruit, and ripe
fruit--all on the same vine.

While this trait would not be useful for the consumer-grape
industry--grape producers prefer to pick their crop just once--it
does accelerate research, allowing for year-round studies on
flowers and berries at all stages of development.

Cousins and University of California-Davis scientist David Tricoli
developed Pixie by regenerating whole plants from embryogenic cells
of the Pinot Meunier variety of grapes.

The concept of developing such dwarf grape plants was first
demonstrated and published by Australian scientists Paul K. Boss,
Mark R. Thomas, K.G. M. Skene and Martin Barlass.

Intellectual property protection will not be sought for Pixie,
according to Cousins.

To inquire about the availability of this new variety, write to
Peter Cousins, USDA-ARS, Grape Genetics Research Unit, 630 W. North
St., Geneva, NY 14456.

ARS is U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research
agency.
___________________________________________

* This is one of the news reports that ARS Information distributes
to subscribers on weekdays.
* Start, stop or change an e-mail subscription at www.ars.usda.gov/
is/pr/subscribe.htm
* NewsService@ars.usda.gov | www.ars.usda.gov/news
* Phone (301) 504-1638 | fax (301) 504-1486

_______________________________________________



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