Abstract

Viticulture is among the significant horticultural sectors in the world, especially in Mediterranean climate zones. Grapes are mainly grown for consumption, production of raisins, technical purposes including juice and concentrate processing, organic acid and grape seed oil extraction, and winemaking. Due to their high economic value, it is important to study grape fruit characteristics such as taste, size, colour, and grapevine resistance to various diseases and stresses. By obtaining transgenic lines of grapevine, it is possible to find out and study the functions of genes associated with resistance to diseases and pests, plant development and primary and secondary metabolic products. Several studies have been conducted using various explants on grapevine transformation and regeneration processes. In particular, transformation using the biolistic method, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation process, and the development of somatic embryogenic tissues using anthers, unfertilised ovaries, pollen grains, and leaves as explants have been demonstrated. In these studies, grape varieties obtained by introducing new traits and characteristics into the genome of traditional varieties retain a high level of heterozygosity and are highly unlikely to undergo somaclonal mutations. In this context, the CRISPR/Cas9 genetic modification technology is an effective tool for generating pinpoint modifications of endogenous genes, conducting functional studies, and creating new varieties. Much research is being conducted in horticulture, including viticulture, on using the CRISPR/Cas9 method.