Prof. Dr. Bülent Köse, a faculty member at the Faculty of Agriculture of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU), is leading a TÜBİTAK-supported breeding project that aims to develop new grape varieties combining the distinctive aroma of Black Sea grapes with seedlessness and strong resistance to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew.

The project also seeks to develop varieties suitable for grape-leaf production for brining, with the broader goal of reducing pesticide use and residue risks in both grape and leaf production.

Prof. Dr. Köse explained that aromatic grape varieties native to the Black Sea Region possess naturally strong genetic resistance to disease, making them valuable breeding material for developing a new generation of cultivars.

“We Are Developing Seedless Grape Varieties”

Prof. Dr. Köse noted that the research uses two aromatic grape varieties registered in 2016 by Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Çelik.

“We are crossing these two registered aromatic grape varieties with seedless grapes to develop seedless cultivars that can be grown without fungicide applications against fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew.”

“We Will Identify Commercial Candidates and Begin Registration Studies”

The crossbreeding program began in 2023, and the resulting plants are currently in their third year of development.

“In the coming years, we will gradually begin to observe their fruit characteristics. Once we can evaluate those traits, we will identify candidates with commercial potential, propagate them, and continue with variety registration studies.”

Prof. Dr. Köse emphasized that plant breeding is necessarily a long-term process.

“Breeding is a long journey. It should be considered a process that takes a minimum of around 15 years.”

Reducing Pesticide Residue Risk in Grape Leaves for Brining

Another important objective of the project is to develop grape varieties suitable for producing leaves for brining.

Prof. Dr. Köse said promising candidates are already beginning to emerge.

“One of the important outputs of this project is grape-leaf production for brining. We are beginning to identify candidate varieties with very good leaf characteristics that are also highly resistant to fungal diseases and can be cultivated without spraying. Our aim is to make these varieties available to growers.”

He noted that pesticide residues are a significant concern in commercial grape-leaf production because preventive fungicide applications are commonly needed to control powdery mildew and downy mildew in conventional vineyards.

Lower Inputs and Greater Economic Value

Prof. Dr. Köse emphasized that the new varieties could provide substantial benefits for both producers and consumers.

“Once the project is completed and the candidate varieties we are developing become available, consumers will be able to eat grapes without pesticide contamination. At the same time, production inputs can be reduced, and less foreign currency will be spent on imported agricultural inputs.”

The project is expected to contribute to more sustainable viticulture by combining disease resistance, consumer-preferred fruit characteristics, lower pesticide dependence, and reduced production costs.