Investigation of mechanisms underlying seedlessness in a Sangiovese somatic variant through comparative genomic and histological analyses

This work provided a list of candidate genes with somatic mutations in Corinto Nero that possibly impair sporogenesis and gametogenesis, preventing seed development. Sangiovese has a genetic predisposition to develop ovary disorders, and to forcibly set fruit in absence of pollination, which may have been turned into full expression of parthenocarpy in Corinto Nero by further mutations. A systematic genome editing of the candidate genes in the seeded Sangiovese will be required for their functional validation.