Heterosis

Term (also heterosis = dissimilarity, heteros = the other) for the pronounced performance of hybrids (crossbreeds) in plant and animal breeding, which can generally have a positive effect through positive characteristics.

Breeding of grape varieties

This plays an important role in the breeding of new grape varieties. Strongly heterozygous (heterozygous) organisms (including humans) have more different hereditary traits than pure-bred ones. They are often more resistant to diseases and are better able to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The grapevine is also heterozygous, which is why crossbreeding between different varieties is generally advantageous. On the other hand, negative inbreeding effects occur with self-pollination (self-fertilisation). However, this does not matter, as propagation is not generative (sexual), but vegetative.

If the observed performance of the first filial generation (F1 = direct offspring of the parent generation) is higher than the average performance of this trait in the parent generation, then this is referred to as a heterosis effect (to be understood positively). By genetically differentiating purebred breeding lines of the parent generation as much as possible, many alleles (trait variants) are different in a cross.

Further information

For more information on this topic, see also flower, chromosome, diploid, DNA, heterozygosity, crossbreeding, vine systematics, taxonomy and breeding, as well as lists of relevant keywords under vineyard and grapevine.

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Heterosis

Breeding of grape varieties

Further information

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