Andres Zhou Tsang

Lab

Gilliham

Position

PhD candidate

Year started

2020

Andres.zhoutsang@adelaide.edu.au

Research description

Increasing salinity is a concern across important viticultural regions in the World, some of them in Australian territory, this leads to several negative consequences for the grape and wine industry such as reduced yield, unpleasant sensorial attributes in juice and wine, and even grapevine mortality. Salt tolerant rootstocks are employed to alleviate salt damage in berry baring scions, but climate change will bring the demand for improved rootstocks towards the future. Here we analyse the genomic sequences of salt tolerant rootstock genotypes in search of genetic markers associated with physiological and molecular mechanisms of salt tolerance, so they can be traced and selected when breeding hybrid genotypes with enhanced salt tolerance and adaptation to regional conditions.

Expertise

Genomics, transcriptomics, crop stress tolerance, wine science

Biography

I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. I studied a Bachelor’s degree in Biology at the Complutense University of Madrid where my initial interest was in genetic engineering. During the final year of my degree I inclined towards wine science as it is a more integrative discipline where the aim is to produce a product that people enjoy. While I was finishing my biology degree I took complementary courses in wine tasting and wine microbiology. I also engaged in internships as a laboratory assistant at the Madrid Institute of Rural, Agricultural and Food Research and Development (IMIDRA), where I worked on monitoring the spread of Xylella fastidiosa and performed vinification trials on local minority grape varieties (those whose wines are not found in the usual shops… yet) Later, I studied a Master’s degree in Biotechnology at the Autonomous University of Madrid and I developed my MSc thesis on salt tolerance in wild grapevines with rootstock breeding potential, working with the Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP UPM-INIA). As I wanted to continue my career overseas, I searched for positions in viticultural and oenological research in different countries with strong and innovative wine sectors. While having a look at the amazing wine science in Australia I got in contact with the professor Matthew Gilliham and had the opportunity to apply for a PhD position at the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Wine Production, and join his laboratory.