Latest news:

Online registration closes on 23 July 2010:

10th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics Online Registration

Housing: Air conditioned dormitory housing is now sold out. Non air conditioned dorms are still available.

Transportation to the conference: If arriving at the Rochester Airport (ROC) on 1 August, meet our representative in the baggage claim area. She/he will assist you and help you board the conference shuttle to Geneva. Shuttle departures are scheduled for 11:00 AM, 3:45 PM, 6:00 PM and 7:45 PM. Contact Bruce Reisch (bir1@nysaes.cornell.edu) or Nancy Long (npl1@nysaes.cornell.edu) if you need further transportation assistance.

Program now available. As of June 22, an updated conference program, plus detailed schedule for the post conference tour, is now available. Click on the "Program" link in the green navigation bar above.

Planning to arrive early? Please note that the Ramada Inn and Hampton Inn are no longer available for the night of 31 July. Only the Microtel Inn and on-campus accommodations are available that night.

We are pleased to announce the following keynote speakers for the meeting:
Dr. Anne-Françoise Adam-Blondon is the Senior Research Scientist for Grapevine Genomics for the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA). Her leadership has been a driving force in the grapevine research community for mapping, structural and comparative genomics, and the Pinot noir genome sequence completed in 2007. She will speak on recent progress in grapevine genomics and prospects beyond the sequenced genome.

Dr. Ian Dry is a principal research scientist with Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), leading investigations into the molecular genetics of fungal disease resistance in grapevines. His research on Run1 and other resistance genes holds the key to significant advances in fungal disease control in grapevines.  He will address the genetics of disease resistance in Vitis.

Dr. Rudolf Eibach is the grape breeder at Germany's Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (Institut für Rebenzüchtung Geilweilerhof - IRZ). His expertise in combining disease resistance and fruit quality in wine grapes has yielded improved cultivars such as Phoenix and Regent, as well as a model for the integration of marker assisted selection with conventional breeding. He will present a review of progress in grapevine breeding.

Dr. Anne Fennell is a professor at South Dakota State University (USA) with expertise in plant functional genomics and adaptation, specifically dormancy induction and low temperature acclimation. She uses an integrated approach (physiology, cell biology, and molecular genetics) to understand the complex interplay between grapevine and environment.  She will speak on the genetics and genomics of grapevine responses to abiotic stress.

Important deadlines:
Abstract submission - April 9, 2010
Early registration discount - April 30, 2010 (You must be registered by April 30 to have your abstract considered for inclusion in the conference program.)
Notification of abstract acceptance - May 7, 2010
Discounted rates at area hotels - June 30, 2010
Final date for online registration - July 23, 2010
Welcome reception - Evening of Sunday, August 1, 2010

If you are not yet ready to register for the conference but would like to be kept informed of upcoming deadlines and the latest information on the conference, please send us your name and email address to join the Conference Announcements E-list.

Please inform the conference secretary of your travel plans if you would like transportation from the Rochester, New York, Airport to Geneva.

Invitation

Every four years, the grape breeding and genetics research community gathers to share the latest advances from around the world.  For just the second time since this series began in Germany in 1973, we will meet in North America.  On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I invite you to attend the 10th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, in Geneva, New York, 1 – 5 August 2010.

The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, a division of Cornell University, was established in 1882. Grape breeding and genetics studies began six years later and have been continuous since then. Today, the faculty conducts research in viticulture, pathology, entomology, and enology.  Our campus is also home to the United States Dept. of Agriculture Grape Genetics Research Unit and the cold-hardy grapevine germplasm collection.  Our activities take place in the midst of a rapidly expanding grape industry that takes advantage of the outstanding genetic diversity in the genus Vitis.

We invite you to attend this conference here in the scenic Finger Lakes region of New York, meet with colleagues from around the world, and enjoy this stunning rural wine district a short distance from Canada and New York City.

Bruce Reisch, Convener, on behalf of the Organizing Committee

View the 10th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics First Announcement (pdf)

View the 10th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics Second Announcement (pdf)

Associated Scientific Conference

2nd Annual Meeting of the Grapevine Research Coordination Network
In coordination with and immediately preceding the 10th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics, the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Grapevine Research Coordination Network (GRCN) will be held on the Hobart and William Smith campus in Geneva, NY, 30 July – 1 August, 2010.  Supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the GRCN aims to coordinate grape functional genomic research among U.S. grape researchers and to articulate and coordinate U.S. research with international initiatives.  The 2010 GRCN meeting will focus on applied functional genomics research, particularly as it relates to grape breeding and genetics.  The format will encourage in-depth discussions and outcomes.  Registration details will be posted in January 2010 at http://www.vitaceae.org/index.php/Meetings/GrapeResearchCoordinationNetworkConference2/.