Rootstock Effects on Fruit Yield and Quality of 'BRS Tainá' Seedless Table Grape in Semi-Arid Tropical Conditions

Plants (Basel). 2024 Aug 20;13(16):2314. doi: 10.3390/plants13162314.

Abstract

In viticulture, choosing the most suitable rootstock for a specific scion cultivar is an efficient and cost-effective way to increase yield and enhance the physicochemical characteristics of the fruit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic performance of the 'BRS Tainá' grapevine on different rootstocks under the conditions of the Sub-Middle São Francisco Valley. The main experimental factor consisted of eight rootstocks (IAC 313, IAC 572, IAC 766, 101-14 MgT, Paulsen 1103, Ramsey, SO4, and Teleki 5C), arranged in randomized blocks with four replicates. The experiment was conducted over four production cycles, from 2021 to 2023, in a commercial crop area in Petrolina, PE, Brazil. There were significant effects of rootstocks for the yield and number of bunches per plant, as well as berry length and firmness. 'BRS Tainá' achieved the highest yield (22.2 kg per plant) when grafted onto the Paulsen 1103 rootstock, which was superior to the yield on 101-14 MgT, IAC 313, and IAC 572 rootstocks. The highest number of bunches (88) was obtained with 'BRS Tainá' grafted on Paulsen 1103, while the lowest number (63) was obtained on IAC 572; both these rootstocks were not significantly different from the other rootstocks. For all scion-rootstock combinations, the mean values for soluble solid (SS) content, titratable acidity (TA), and the SS/TA ratio were similar to those previously described for 'BRS Tainá', meeting the commercialization standard. The results for the yield and number of bunches per plant indicate the suitability of grafting 'BRS Tainá' on Paulsen 1103 under the semi-arid tropical conditions of the São Francisco Valley.

Keywords: Vitis vinifera; seedless table grapes; tropical viticulture.

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) Finance Code 001, and Fundação de Amparo à Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco Grant No: 88887.615963/2021-00.