`Fantasy Seedless': A New Black Seedless Grape

Abstract

‘Fantasy Seedless’ grape (Vitis vinifera L.) (Fig. 1) is a midseason, attractive, blue-black, referred to as black in the industry, seedless grape with naturally large berries. This grape was introduced in 1989 to fill the need for a black seedless cultivar for the fresh market. The California table grape industry has made dramatic strides in producing more seedless grapes. In 1982, 61.4% (31,300,000 boxes; box = 10 kg) of the grapes produced for the fresh market were seedless, compared to 80.0% (50,100,000 boxes) in 1992 (California Table Grape Commission, 1983, 1993). The development and release of ‘Flame Seedless’, a red grape (Weinberger and Harmon, 1974), in 1973 by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) played a significant role in this change. Since its inception in 1923 (Snyder, 1931, 1937), one of the objectives of the USDA grape breeding program in Fresno, Calif., has been to develop seedless grapes. However, since 1975, as a result of consumer demand, the development of seedless cultivars has become the most important objective. White seedless grapes (i.e., ‘Perlette’, ‘Superior Seedless’, and ‘Thompson Seedless’) are available most of the season. ‘Flame Seedless’ is available from May to October, ripening at various times in California’s grape production districts. However, few black grapes are being produced. In 1992, most black grapes shipped were ‘Ribier’ (877,000 boxes) and ‘Exotic’ (661,000), both of which have seeds (California Table Grape Commission, 1993). A few black seedless grapes have been introduced, but they have not become major cultivars. Among these is ‘Beauty Seedless’ (174,000 boxes shipped in 1992), which has been planted principally in the Coachella Valley of southern California for the early market. Also, ‘Black Monukka’ has been grown for the fresh market, but it shatters badly and is not economical to produce. Other minor black seedless cultivars are ‘Negrita’ (5600 boxes) and ‘Majestic’ (97,000 boxes).