Rootstocks for table grape ‘BRS Maria Bonita’ in the São Francisco Valley, northeast Brazil

Abstract

‘BRS Maria Bonita’ is a red seedless table-grape cultivar developed by Embrapa’s grape breeding program. This work aimed to study the influence of rootstock on production components and physico-chemical characteristics of ‘BRS Maria Bonita’ grapes in the tropical conditions of the Sao Francisco Valley. The experiment was carried out in the experimental field of Embrapa Semiarido in Petrolina, PE, Brazil, during five production cycles, using six rootstocks: ‘Harmony’, ‘SO4’, ‘Paulsen 1103’, ‘IAC 572’, ‘IAC 313’ and ‘IAC 766’. The experimental design was random blocks with three replicates. The averages of five production cycles presented statistically significant differences for most variables. Rootstock ‘IAC 766’ increased yield and number of bunches compared with ‘Harmony’ and ‘SO4’. An average of 14.8 t ha(‑1) per cycle and 35 bunches per plant was obtained on ‘IAC 766’. The sizes of the bunch and berry were lower with rootstock ‘SO4’, but did not differ with the other rootstocks. Soluble solids content (SSC) was not influenced by rootstock, reaching mean values of 16.24 °Brix, while the titratable acidity (TA) was higher when the grapes were grafted on ‘SO4’ (0.56 g tartaric acid 100 mL(‑1)) in comparison with ‘Harmony’ (0.45 g tartaric acid 100 mL(‑1)) and’ IAC 313 ‘(0.47 g tartaric acid 100 mL(‑1)). The SSC/TA ratio also did not show differences between rootstocks, ranging from 32.4 (‘SO4’) to 41.8 (‘Harmony’). Rootstock ‘IAC 766’ should be used to increase yield and number of bunches of ‘BRS Maria Bonita’ grown in the Sao Francisco Valley, northeast Brazil.