TY - JOUR T1 - Zinfandel, Dobrièiæ, and Plavac mali: The Genetic Relationship among Three Cultivars of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia JF - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture JO - Am J Enol Vitic. SP - 174 LP - 180 DO - 10.5344/ajev.2004.55.2.174 VL - 55 IS - 2 AU - E. Maletiæ AU - I. Pejiæ AU - J. Karoglan Kontiæ AU - J. Piljac AU - G. S. Dangl AU - A. Vokurka AU - T. Lacombe AU - N. Miroševiæ AU - C. P. Meredith Y1 - 2004/01/01 UR - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/55/2/174.abstract N2 - Plavac mali and Zinfandel (syn. Primitivo) (Vitis vinifera L.) have previously been shown to be distinct cultivars but close relatives. They were analyzed, together with 33 cultivars from vineyards in the Croatian region of Dalmatia, at 16 to 25 microsatellite loci in order to further investigate their relationship to each other. Microsatellite alleles and subsequent likelihood analysis showed with a very high degree of probability that Plavac mali is the progeny of Zinfandel and Dobrièiæ. The shoot tips of Plavac mali are similar to those of Zinfandel, while its mature leaves reflect the influence of both parents. All three have similar berry and cluster morphology. Zinfandel is earlier than Plavac mali and Dobrièiæ with respect to both budbreak and fruit ripening. Many of the alleles present in Zinfandel and Dobrièiæ are more common in the Croatian gene pool than in the general population of V. vinifera cultivars. This observation, together with our finding that four additional Croatian cultivars are closely related to Zinfandel, leads us to conclude that Zinfandel originated in Croatia. Vines of the cultivars Crljenak kaštelanski and Pribidrag, found in two different locations in Dalmatia in 2001 and 2002, respectively, were shown to match the microsatellite genotype of Zinfandel.Acknowledgments: This work was supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Croatia (FSSP-ARS), the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and Zinfandel Advocates and Producers. The authors thank I. Cariæ, D. Elezoviæ, M. Jelaska, I. Kirid•ija, Z. Plenkoviæ, I. Stanojeviæ, and A. Vuletin for their help in locating and sampling rare vineyards of native Croatian cultivars. We are grateful to B.H. Prins of the USDA-ARS Germplasm Repository at the University of California, Davis for the use of the parentage analysis program. ER -