American Grapevine Genetics Research Initiative

The American Grapevine Genetics Research Initiative (AGGRI) is intended to become a national USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Research and Promotion Program that assesses commercial grapevine nurseries to fund long-term research guided by durable infrastructure and governance. Beyond the inconsistency of grant awards, political terms, or individual organization focus, AGGRI serves–and will be controlled by–the U.S. grape industry to build on and surpass traditional plant breeding to identify genes responsible for prioritized grapevine traits and provide functional proof of those plant traits that allow growers real-world application in the vineyard.

While current research projects focus on knowledge, the AGGRI effort is focused on developing a genetically-improved grapevine product for grape growers (from all grape sectors-raisin, wine, table, and juice).