(122) Productivity of `Superior Seedless' Grafted on Rootstocks Harmony and Freedom for Table Grape

Abstract

Grapes are one of the more important fruit crops in northwest Mexico, mainly dedicated for the production of table grape, with the most important cultivar being `Superior Seedless'. The shortage and high cost of extraction of the water, infestation of nematodes, and salinity, are the main problems that limit the production in the region. The objective of the present investigation was to determine the productivity of `Superior Seedless' grafted on the rootstocks Harmony and Freedom. The present study was carried out in the INIFAP-Caborca Research Station in 2005, and consisted of 15 plants for treatment grafted to each rootstock. We used `Superior Seedless' in their own foot as control; watering was under a drip-irrigation system, and we used a completely randomized statistical design, where each plant was the experimental unit. Statistical differences were not observed in production among the two rootstocks (Freedom and Harmony), which yielded 2225 and 2112 boxes/ha, respectively (boxes of 10 kg) and an average of 1000 boxes/ha over the control. The quality (berry size and cluster weight) of the fruit on both rootstocks was superior to the control. They were no differences in the sugar content and the phonological stages (bud-break, flowering, and harvest time). In both rootstocks, we obtained 100% nematode control, a 35% savings of water consumption, and a 40% savings in fertilizer use.