The unit
The South African Grape and Wine Research Institute (SAGWRI) is a research and postgraduate training institute that has a broad scope and mandate to operate inter-facultatively within Stellenbosch University, and in partnership with other national and international higher education, and public and private enterprises. SAGWRI focuses on Integrated Grape and Wine Sciences and Biotechnology and is linked to the Department of Viticulture and Enology within the AgriSciences faculty at SU.
The main goals of the institute are to: (i) Coordinate post graduate training in Grape and Wine Sciences; (ii) Coordinate Grape and Wine Research at Stellenbosch University; (iii) Establish, Maintain and Promote Transdisciplinarity; (iv) Pursue internationalization and (v) Participate in innovation activities
MAIN ACTIVITIES
Main activities within the project will include to gain insight into the regulation of cell wall biosynthesis and reorganization involved in mechanisms of tolerance through the detailed characterization the cell wall composition under stressed conditions.
The content of the main CW monosaccharides that will be released will be measured in in contrasting accessions as well as in edited mutant lines of eggplant and rice exposed to different heat and drought stresses. A common approach will be used to screen rice and eggplant leaves, rice grains during different developmental stages and eggplants fruits undergoing ripening changes. Further, purified enzymes will help to dissect whole wall composition in these tissues useful for the development of a stress-tolerance cell wall model.
