Australian scientists have used selective breeding to create 40 grapevine cultivars that have high resistance to fungal diseases and could reduce the use and ecological cost of chemical sprays by wine producers.
During a five-year trial, researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation tested 1,200 cultivars for resistance to downy and powdery mildews.
They narrowed the field to 20 white and 20 red vine cultivars that could form a first generation of mildew-resistant grapevines for Australian vineyards.
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