Rootstocks for the new seedless table grape ‘BRS Vitória’ under tropical semi-arid conditions of São Francisco Valley

Abstract

‘BRS Vitoria’ is the most important Brazilian table grape cultivar in the domestic and foreign markets, standing out for the seedleness, pleasant flavor, high yield and mildew resistance. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of the rootstock on the yield, production components, vigor, and physical and chemical characteristics of the ‘BRS Vitória’ grape under irrigation in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The experiment was conducted over eight consecutive production cycles in the period from 2015 to 2018 in a commercial area in the Senador Nilo Coelho project, Petrolina, PE. The treatments were represented by seven rootstocks: ‘IAC 572', ‘IAC 766', ‘IAC 313', ‘Harmony’, ‘SO4', ‘Paulsen 1103', and ‘Freedom’, using a randomized block experimental design with four replications. The results were variable among production cycles, with significant effects of the rootstock in some cycles and/or in the overall mean of the cycles. The variables of pruning weight, sprouting, bud fertility, and titratable acidity were not affected by the rootstock in any of the production cycles evaluated in this study. ‘Harmony’ rootstock promoted greater berry mass and diameter but reduced the soluble solids content. Vines of ‘BRS Vitória’ showed moderate vigor, high bud fertility and yield, satisfactory characteristics of bunch and berry, sugars and acids content that meet the requirements of the most demanding markets in all the rootstocks evaluated in this study.