Abstract
Grapevine is one of the major horticultural crops of the world with the cultivated area exceeding 7.5 million ha used for a myriad of products ranging through fresh table grape, preserves, juice, wine, and raisins. The main objective of this study was to introduce twenty-eight grapevine cultivars (ten wild, ten wine, four table, and four raisin grapes) into Gedeo Zone for the first time and ampelographically characterize them in Dilla and Yirgacheffe agroecological conditions in Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia, from August 2018 to July 2021. Ten Vitis abyssinica wild grapevine cultivars were collected from Adama, Addis Ababa, Alamata, Arba Minch, Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa, Gondar, Hawassa, Jimma, and Jinka areas. Additional ten world class wine grapes were gathered from Ziway Castel Winery, and four table and four raisin grapes were also collected from Raya Horti Farm and Koka Vineyard at the same time. The experiment was a 2 × 28 factorial arranged in randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications, and data were analyzed using the R-software. The analysis of variance revealed that the interaction of cultivar and location significantly (P < 0.001) affected grapevine plant height, leaf number, number of fruits per plant, and tendril number per vine, while grapevine trunk diameter, flower cluster, root length, and number of suckers per vines were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by the interaction of the two factors. Generally, the wine grapevine cultivars had lower canopy such as plant height, leaf number, number of tendrils, and suckering vines while these registered a higher number of fruits per plant, trunk diameter, flower cluster, and root length compared to the wild grapevine cultivars. The results of the present study suggested that Syrah, Chenin Blanc, and Grenache can produce high grapevine berry yield and wine quality in Gedeo Zone agroecology particularly in Dilla location. The wild grapevines collected from Dire Dawa, Arba Minch, Jinka, and Alamata were the potential candidates for the world class wine, raisin, and table grapevines which could open new frontiers in the future for Ethiopian native Vitis abyssinica wild grapevine breeding and genetic engineering that will help to move the national and international viticulture and enology industry forward. As the Ethiopian native grapevines are at the risk of total extinction, adequate conservation strategies are required. Breeding, detailed identification, and introducing the potential grapes in different regions of the country are needed. This finding represents a step forward in efforts to understand hybridization of Vitis abyssinica grapevine with Vitis vinifera and other new world Vitis species.
Highlights
Viticulture is one of the major horticultural industries of the world [1] with the area of cultivation exceeding 7.5 million ha [2] and used for a myriad of products ranging through fresh table grape, preserves, juice, wine, and raisins [3, 4].e grape attains a high concentration of sugar as well as a wide range of aromatic compounds when ripe
The shorter plant heights were recorded in the most popular European (Pinot Noir, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon), Argentinian (Malbec), Australian (Syrah, Chenin Blanc), and American (Merlot, Chardonnay) wine grapes in both Dilla and Yirgacheffe agroecological conditions. e raisin and table grapevines (South African and European) had a moderate plant height compared to the wild and wine grapevines (Figure 2). e result of the present study is in line with [13, 14], that clearly and concisely reported that wild grapevines were vigorous compared to the modern grapes. is might be mainly due to genetic differences among the grapevine cultivars [15], sunlight distribution [9], and poor canopy management [16]
Even though the Ethiopian agroecology is suitable for producing various grapevine cultivars, there was not any grapevine plant or research trial in Gedeo Zone using worldwide or wild grapevines. e Ethiopian native grapevines (Vitis abyssinica) were ignored since the Italian invasion and considered as a weed plant
Summary
Viticulture is one of the major horticultural industries of the world [1] with the area of cultivation exceeding 7.5 million ha [2] and used for a myriad of products ranging through fresh table grape, preserves, juice, wine, and raisins [3, 4].e grape attains a high concentration of sugar as well as a wide range of aromatic compounds when ripe. Viticulture is one of the major horticultural industries of the world [1] with the area of cultivation exceeding 7.5 million ha [2] and used for a myriad of products ranging through fresh table grape, preserves, juice, wine, and raisins [3, 4]. A complex of factors determines the success of a viticulture industry with climate being the dominant one [6]. For the successful production of grapes, the mean annual e Scientific World Journal temperature is the most critical factor. Grapevines can grow successfully in a wide range of soil pH (4.0–9.5), but a range of 6.5–8.0 is ideal [11]
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