Underground Explorers

Wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera var. sylvestris), the ancestor of cultivated grapevine, is distributed across diverse ecosystems of Georgia. These plants form symbiotic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which enhance nutrient uptake and increase stress tolerance. The diversity of AMF associated with wild grapevine in Georgia has not yet been studied.The project aims to investigate the mycorrhizal diversity of wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera var. sylvestris) in different ecoregions of Georgia using modern molecular biology methods and in collaboration with international colleagues.