Research

PFAS are persistent organic compounds which consist of a hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic alkyl chain of variable length (4-16) partially (poly-) or completely (per-) fluorinated. They are contaminants of soil and water, and can cause harm to the human health and the environment. PFAS have been widely used in industrial and commercial products such as fire-fighting foams, materials for cook-ware, high-temperature lubricants, ski wax, water repellant clothing and many more products since the 1940s. Various Pseudomonas spp. have been shown to degrade perfluoro-octane-sulfonate (PFOS) and it was observed that Pseudomonas strains have developed a strong tolerance to fluoride. In our project we will use a customized variant of the described method of Luan et al. (2013) to obtain Pseudomonas spp. mutants with improved PFAS degradation abilities. We will generate three plasmids encoding variants of DnaQ to provide strong, medium and weak mutator abilities. Pseudomonas. spp. obtained from strain collections or isolated from PFAS-contaminated environments (collaboration with AIT, Thomas Reichenauer) will be transformed with these plasmids and will be grown in inducing conditions, at the same time expressing inactive DnaQ protein which results in a mutator phenotype. Increasing concentrations of PFAS in the culture medium over time will lead to adaption by improved enzyme sets/degradation pathways in specific clones which can be isolated by high throughput screening methods and identified by whole genome sequencing. Once a feasible clone is identified, it can be grown in medium in absence of the inducer, so that expression of the inactive DnaQ protein is repressed or the obtained strain can be cured of the mutator plasmid, and genetic stability is restored. Cured strains will be tested for their PFAS reducing abilities in different environmental matrices like water or soil. Finally, degradation and transformation products emerging during PFAS-degradation will be analyzed by LC-HRMS/MS and LC-ion mobility-HRMS/MS.

Magnesium is an essential component of chlorophyll for plant physiology. Low Mg content in the leaves of grapevines reduces photosynthesis and, thus, glucose production and, consequently, lower wine quality. The right choice of rootstock is essential to alleviate this deficiency. However, the necessary Mg efficiency restricts the selection of the rootstocks, and in particular, the rootstocks that have been tried and tested in this country are less suitable. The deficiency can also be remedied by fertilizing the leaves, at least in the short term. But, the most sustainable solution would be to plant clones with an unproblematic Mg metabolism. An important grape variety for Austrian viticulture is mainly affected by Mag deficiency, namely Welschriesling (WR). The WR clones that are available for domestic viticulture all show more or less a weak Mg uptake. The variety has been used in viticulture for several centuries and was intensively cultivated and therefore exists in different genetic types. Since the old descriptions do not report this Mg deficiency, it is entirely conceivable that there is genomics in old genotypes that show average Mg utilization. Therefore, it would be necessary to look for genotypes that offer a better uptake and research it genetically. It is well known that crop phenotypic variation is shaped by their ancestors’ genetic variation and the selection and maintenance of collections of mutations. Moreo ver, most of this varia ti on is quan ti ta ti ve. Therefore, more than ever, an essential goal of genetics is to identify and use appropriate bio-markers for selection. In this way, appropriate biomarkers could be developed for the selection of WR, which enables a distinction between Mg-efficient and inefficient, which is very important for winegrowers. New clones with Mg efficiency would strengthen the local vine nurseries and viticulture and could also mean that vine material can be delivered to the neighbouring countries Hungary, Croa tia, Slovenia and Slovakia because the problem also exists there. Furthermore, this would result in a competitive advantage for domestic planting stock companies.

Cornelian cherries gain increasingly the consumer interest as healthy food, which leads to an increased market demand for high quality fruits and corresponding planting material. Previously we have analyzed more than 400 genetically unique C. mas accessions in the Pielach Valley, Traisen Valley and Gölsen Valley, both phenotypically and genetically. Findings on the long-term development of temperature and precipitation levels suggest that breeding for drought tolerance and disease resistance prevail in the face of current and future challenges with changing climatic conditions. To develop a breeding strategy for the production of novel genotypes adapted to future needs for a sustainable production in the region, the following objectives are envisaged: 1. The germination of the cornel cherry seeds takes up to 3 years and first fruits are expected in seedling plants after 8 years. Therefore, a marked reduction in the germination time would benefit the breeding, but also the propagation of Cornelian cherry. Thus, the premature breaking of the dormancy is a major issue to be worked on and improved in the present project in vivo and in vitro. 2. Valuable cultivars have to be propagated vegetatively. Grafting experiments will be carried out at different times of the year and with different scions in the greenhouse and in the insect proof screenhouse. In addition, the technique of "in vitro grafting" will be established for Cornus mas. 3. The creation of a reference genome sequence of a Pielachtal selection of Cornus mas will make it possible to identify essential genome segments including regulatory elements and provide the basis for a marker-assisted selection (MAS). 4. A MAS strategy will be developed and used on selected genotypes in the Austrian Cornelian cherry cultivation. This will allow to shorten the time until a decision is made about the breeding value of a new breed, i.e. the later growth and production behavior of a plant, as early as the seedling stage. 5. Cornelian cherries are also attacked by viruses and phytoplasmas. However, since they are mainly considered wild plants, infections are not reported, because there exist no systematic surveys. Since virus transmission via seeds cannot be ruled out in Cornelian cherry, in the present project, the testing of seedlings and planting material by ELISA or PCR will be established and a control strategy developed.