AI-Driven Precision Breeding for Sustainable Grapevine Production

We are seeking an international partner to join a Eureka project focused on developing an AI-driven precision breeding platform for grapevine and accelerating the development of disease-resilient and climate-adapted grapevine varieties.

The project will integrate AI-assisted target discovery with advanced plant biotechnology and multi-scale biological validation. Viña Concha y Toro has established capabilities in grapevine biotechnology, including protoplast-based plant regeneration, access to relevant grapevine germplasm, controlled-environment facilities and field environments for biological and agronomic evaluation.

As the first industrial-scale application of the platform, the project will evaluate more than 100 grapevine genotypes under powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) challenge. Phenotypic, physiological and transcriptomic data will be generated and integrated to identify and prioritize candidate genes and biological mechanisms associated with disease resistance and other agronomically relevant traits.

The project will subsequently validate selected targets through an advanced precision breeding workflow, including targeted genome modification, protoplast-based approaches, plant regeneration and molecular validation. Materials generated through the previous projects will also be advanced toward greenhouse and experimental field validation, providing an established biological foundation for the new project.

We are looking for a partner able to strengthen the downstream development and validation of improved grapevine material. Relevant expertise may include grapevine propagation, plant material development, phenotyping, greenhouse or field trials, nursery production, variety development, regulatory evaluation and/or commercial deployment.

The ideal partner should have strong expertise and infrastructure in plant biotechnology, viticulture or plant material development and be interested in contributing to the development and future exploitation of next-generation grapevine varieties.

The collaboration would provide access to an established grapevine precision breeding platform, relevant germplasm, AI-assisted biological discovery and opportunities to participate in the development and validation of commercially relevant disease-resilient grapevine genetics.