Grapevine shoot tip cryopreservation and cryotherapy: Secure storage of disease-free plants

Abstract

Grapevine (Vitis spp.) is one of the most economically important temperate fruit crops. Grapevine breeding programs require access to high-quality Vitis cultivars and wild species, which may be maintained within genebanks. Shoot tip cryopreservation is a valuable technique for the safe, long-term conservation of Vitis genetic resources that complements traditional field and in vitro germplasm collections. Vitis is highly susceptible to virus infections. Virus-free plants are re-quired as propagation material for clonally propagated germplasm, and also for the global exchange of grapevine genetic resources. Shoot tip cryotherapy, a method based on cryopreservation, has proven to be effective in eradicating viruses from infected plants, including grapevine. This com-prehensive review outlines/documents the advances in Vitis shoot tip cryopreservation and cryo-therapy that have resulted in healthy plants with high regrowth levels across diverse Vitis species.