Chinese scientists use AI to accelerate precise grape breeding
It usually takes three years for a grape seed to germinate and bear fruit, and much longer to cultivate an excellent grape variety, but a research team led by Zhou Yongfeng, from the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, has discovered a new method of grape breeding using artificial intelligence (AI), which significantly reduces the breeding cycle and achieves a high prediction accuracy of 85 percent, Xinhua reports
"This research is expected to achieve precise breeding design for grapes, accelerate grape variety innovation, and provide a reference for breeding other perennial crops," Mr. Zhou said.
In order to achieve precise design and breeding, scientists need to analyse massive amounts of comprehensive and accurate genomic and genetic data. Mr. Zhou's team has been focusing on grape design and breeding since 2015. In 2023, they released the first complete grape genome map. Building upon this achievement, the team has since also constructed the first grape pan-genome, known as Grapepan v1.0.
In order to further investigate the correlation between grape genes and traits, the team selected more than 400 representative varieties from nearly 10,000 types of grapes. Over the course of two years, they conducted investigations of 29 agronomic traits, including cluster size, grape berry metabolite content, berry size and fruit skin color. As a result, they managed to construct genetic and trait maps for grapes.
How to dig deeper into such genomic data to guide breeding? The team decided to try to answer this question by introducing machine learning, developing a predictive model to make early predictions and selections based on scoring – thereby guiding and optimising breeding strategies.
"With this model, breeders can assess the genetic potential of a large number of breeding materials quickly and accurately, enabling them to better select superior varieties. This breeding technology can predict the characteristics of grape seedlings at an early stage, allowing for the early removal of unsuitable seedlings and reducing unnecessary labor and investment costs," Mr. Zhou said.
Currently, the research has obtained approval for six national invention patents and has applied for one international patent.
