Help from the past to cope with the future: <i>Vitis sylvestris</i> as a resource for abiotic stress resilience

Societal Impact Statement Viticulture is facing increasing challenges due to climate change. The focus on fast growth and sweet berries has come at the expense of stress resilience. Grafting onto Phylloxera‐resistant rootstocks from American species has been the most successful form of ecological pest management. However, there is still a significant reliance on chemical plant protection. Additionally, abiotic stress has not been a primary concern in rootstock breeding efforts so far. To identify genetic factors that contribute to abiotic stress tolerance, we propose to explore the potential of the wild ancestor of grapevine, Vitis sylvestris . By identifying resilience factors, we can develop a new generation of rootstocks or enhance grafted cultivars to protect viticulture from the impact of abiotic constraints. Summary There is an urgent need to explore wild germplasm resources for resilience traits that enhance stress tolerance in grapevines. The challenges posed by climate change, including heat and drought stress, salinity, rising temperatures, and untimely cold snaps in spring, are intensifying. Traditional grapevine varieties often lack the resilience to withstand environmental threats because conventional breeding has historically prioritized yield and flavor over stress tolerance. In this review, we highlight the potential of the European Wild Grapevine, Vitis sylvestris , as a valuable genetic resource for resilience traits. Understanding the underlying mechanisms is crucial for developing molecular markers to support resilience breeding. Such traits can be directly integrated through introgression into productive cultivars. Alternatively, they can be used to develop a new generation of rootstocks that protect the scion from environmental stresses without compromising desirable oenological qualities. These markers may support the development of gene editing strategies to engineer more resilient genotypes.