Scientists in the US have stepped up their efforts to improve grapes’ ability to deal with the cold in new trials.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has been conducting trials to increase the “cold hardiness” of grape varieties to resist the northern US’s often bitter weather conditions.

If scientists can identify the gene or genes that control the grape plant’s natural dormancy in winter, they could help develop more cold-tolerant varieties, according to a statement from the ARS.

The work is still in its early stages but is seen as the first step in identifying a potentially lucrative option for growers in the US.

Amanda Garris, a geneticist at the ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva, New York State, said: “The grape species Vitis riparia is unusual because it stops growing when the day length drops to less than 13 hours. Most other grape varieties are not sensitive to day length.”

Garris and her colleagues have been identifying genes for day-length sensitivity in Vitis riparia. The researchers crossed Vitis riparia with Seyval, a hybrid grape insensitive to day length.

During the trials, they raised some of the offspring in fields and others in greenhouses, where they could control environmental variables. They then compared the differences among 120 DNA markers and six genes.

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