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Vineyards at McLaren Vale, South Australia. Photo by Kym Parry. Full Image (144.54K)

Friday, 21 November 2008

Climate change and the quality of wine will be areas of key interest when the University of Adelaide plays host to some of the world's top grapevine scientists at an international conference in Adelaide next week.

The 8th International Symposium on Grapevine Physiology and Biotechnology - being held at the University's National Wine Centre from 24-28 November - will attract around 200 delegates from countries around the globe, including some of the world's biggest and best wine-producing nations.

The aim of the conference is to discuss the latest biotechnology techniques that will help the wine industry.

"The symposium will showcase the latest research with a focus on where new techniques in biotechnology are being used to advance our understanding of vine physiology," says co-organiser of the event and Wine Industry Professor of Viticulture at the University of Adelaide Professor Steve Tyerman.

"With the recent sequencing of the grapevine genome, this opens many opportunities in grapevine biotechnology to improve berry quality, and to guard against climate change and consequences, such as drought and salinity. These and many other issues will be discussed across the five days."

Many high-profile international scientists will be among the delegates attending the conference.

Among the areas being discussed at the conference are:

• Plant growth and development
  
• Fruit development and composition
  
• Grapevines and water usage
  
• Environment and plant responses to climate change
  
• Pathogens and disease resistance
  
• New advances in genomics and functional genomics
  
• New advances in plant physiology

The conference is being sponsored by industry, universities and Commonwealth wine funding agencies.

For more information about the symposium, visit: www.asvo.com.au/8isgpb/