Location: Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research
Project Number: 2034-21220-007-021-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: May 1, 2016
End Date: Sep 30, 2019
Objective:
Develop a series of seedless table grapes ripening from early to late season, with white, black and red-skinned fruit. Fruit from developed selections must exceed specific quality characteristics of existing table grape cultivars in competing market windows. Emphasis is being placed on development of white-and red-skinned early season grapes with naturally large berries, loose clusters, good taste profile and appearance. Develop new seedless table grape cultivars with similar quality characteristics and durable resistance to powdery mildew.
Approach:
Standard breeding methods are being used in this breeding program. Methods involve selecting accessions having the most desirable combination of characters, hybridizing those accessions, and selecting the most elite offspring and testing them as potential varieties. Breeding efficiency is enhanced through the standard use of embryo culture to produce progenies from seedless x seedless crosses. Advanced selections are tested in demonstration plots to determine commercial potential relative to competing cultivars. Powdery mildew resistance will be incorporated into high quality table grape germplasm through direct hybridization. Selection for powdery mildew resistance in appropriate progenies will initially occur in the greenhouse at the seedling stage. Powdery mildew resistant seedlings will then be transplanted to field sites where fungicides are not used for further evaluation.
