Overview

I specialize in the development of new wine and table grape varieties, as well as new grape breeding techniques. Since joining the Cornell faculty in 1980, my program has released eleven new grape varieties - eight wine grapes (cooperatively with the Dept. of Food Science and Technology) and three seedless table grapes. The grape breeding program continues to emphasize wine variety development with a strong emphasis on combining wine quality with disease resistance and cold tolerance. We develop flavorful, attractive table grapes, as well. We complement the traditional breeding program with experimental approaches to develop complete maps of grapevine chromosomes, and to study functional gene expression. In addition to my research responsibilities, I was Chair for over 10 years of the Grape Crop Germplasm Committee, a national committee overseeing U.S. Department of Agriculture efforts to preserve wild and cultivate grapevines. My studies have taken me to international conferences, research stations and the grape growing regions of France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Israel, Hungary, Turkey, Thailand, Switzerland, China and Japan. My laboratory has hosted graduate students and researchers from many parts of the world, including Brazil, Pakistan, France, South Africa, Germany, Korea, Israel and China. I currently co-teach a portion of the Grapevine Biology course focusing on grapevine breeding and genetics.

Research Focus

Program objectives focus on the genetic improvement of grapevines while integrating traditional and novel techniques. In the traditional portion of the project, we use interspecific hybridization to develop wine grapes with cold hardiness, disease resistance and high wine or table grape quality. New cultivars developed by this ongoing cooperative program with the Dept. of Food Science have become prominent in many states east of the Rockies, including New York. We are also developing novel techniques in plant breeding for potential contributions to grapevine improvement. These studies currently focus on understanding gene function via functional gene expression, and molecular map development to locate genes controlling resistance to grapevine diseases.

Outreach and Extension Focus

Extension is a small but highly important position responsibility. The wine and grape industries rely on me as a source for information not only on the new cultivars developed in my program, but also on the full range of wine and table grape cultivars available on today`s market. Our approach is to supply test selections and cultivars to researchers in many states; gather information on cultivars and selections in trials at Geneva, Fredonia, Pennsylvania, and Niagara County; and to present information at public meetings, workshops, and on our program web site.

Instruction Focus

In addition to guiding graduate students, I also teach the "grape breeding and genetics" section of HORT/VIEN 4444, Grapevine Biology, every spring semester. This is a cooperative teaching effort with Peter Cousins and Chris Owens (adjunct professors of Horticulture) as well as Alan Lakso. Guest lectures, seminars, and field tours for visiting classes are also given on a regular basis.

Additional Links

• Grapevine Breeding Program
• Recent releases and numbered selections from the grapevine breeding program
• Link to VIVO profile

Selected Publications

• Cadle-Davidson, L., S. Mahanil, D.M. Gadoury, P. Kozma, and B.I. Reisch. 2011. Natural infection of Run1-positive vines by naïve genotypes of Erysiphe necator. Vitis (in press)
• Reisch, B.I., C.L. Owens, and P.S. Cousins. 2011. Grapes. in Fruit and Nut Breeding Handbook. D.Byrne and M. Badenes (eds.) Springer, USA (in press)
• Rosenfield, C.-L., S. Samuelian, J.R. Vidal, and B.I. Reisch. 2010. Transgenic disease resistance in Vitis vinifera: potential use and screening of antimicrobial peptides. Amer. J. Enol. Vitic. 61:348-357.
• Poolsawat, O., A. Tharapreuksapong, S. Wongkaew, B. Reisch and P. Tantasawat. 2010. Genetic diversity and pathogenicity analysis of Sphaceloma ampelinum causing grape anthracnose in Thailand. J. Phytopath. 158:837-840.
• Kikkert, J.R., J.R. Vidal, P.G. Wallace, S. Garcia-Zitter, W.F. Wilcox, D.M. Gadoury, R.C. Seem, T.J. Burr, C.-L. Rosenfield, S. Samuelian, and B.I. Reisch 2009. Disease resistance analyses of transgenic grapevines that contain endochitinase or antimicrobial peptide genes. 9th Intern. Conf. on Grape Genetics and Breeding. 2-7 July 2006. Udine, Italy. Acta Hort. 827:379-384.
• Eom, S.H, and B.I. Reisch. 2008. Inhibitors of NPT-II ELISA (Neomycin Phosphotransferase II Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) leaves. Vitis 47:7-9.
• Bautista, J., G.S. Dangl, J. Yang, B. Reisch and E. Stover. 2008. Use of genetic markers to assess pedigrees of grape cultivars and breeding program selections. Amer. J. Enol. Vitic. 59:248-254.
• Mahanil, S., P. Thipyapong, B.I. Reisch, C.L. Owens, and P. Laosuwan. 2007. Resistance gene analogs (RGAs) from Vitis cinerea, Vitis rupestris, and Vitis hybrid Horizon. Amer. J. Enol. Vitic. 58:484-493.
• Vidal, J.R., J.R. Kikkert, M.A. Malnoy, P.G. Wallace, J. Barnard, and B.I. Reisch. 2006. Evaluation of transgenic ‘Chardonnay' (Vitis vinifera) containing magainin genes for resistance to crown gall and powdery mildew diseases. Transgenic Research 15:69-82.
• Vidal, J.R., J.R. Kikkert, B. Donzelli, P.G. Wallace, and B.I. Reisch. 2006. Biolistic transformation of grapevine using minimal gene cassette technology. Plant Cell Reports 25:807-814.
• Kikkert, J.R., M.J. Striem, J.R. Vidal, P.G. Wallace, J. Barnard, and B.I. Reisch. 2005. Long-term study of somatic embryogenesis from anthers and ovaries of twelve grapevine (Vitis sp.) genotypes. In Vitro Cell. Dev. Biol. - Plant 41:232-239.
• Ali, G.S., G.E. Harman, and B.I. Reisch. 2003. The interaction of endochitinase, a synthetic peptide ESF12 and resveratrol in controlling fungal growth in vitro. European J. Plant Path. 109:639-644.
• Vidal, J.R., J.R. Kikkert, P.G. Wallace, and B.I. Reisch. 2003. High-efficiency biolistic co-transformation and regeneration of ‘Chardonnay' (Vitis vinifera L.) containing npt-II and antimicrobial peptide genes. Plant Cell Rep. 22:252-260.
• Dalbó, M.A., G.N. Ye, N.F. Weeden, W.F. Wilcox, and B.I. Reisch. 2001. Marker-assisted selection for powdery mildew resistance in grapes. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 126:83-89.

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