Yield Components and Fruit Composition of Five Barbera Grapevine Selections in the San Joaquin Valley, California

Abstract

Barbera grapevine (Vitis vinifera) selections from Foundation Plant Services (FPS), University of California, Davis, were evaluated in Parlier, Fresno County, California. Green potted plants of Barbera, FPS selections 02, 03, 04, 05, and 06, were planted in the summer of 2000, and fruit yield and quality were assessed annually between 2003 and 2006. Selection 02 performed similarly to several other selections with respect to fruit composition and yield, but its berries were 10 to 25% heavier than the others. Large berries made the clusters of FPS 02 excessively compact; the incidence of sour rot was sometimes two to three times higher for FPS 02 than for other selections. Selections 03 and 05 originated from the same mother vine and performed identically. Their fruit composition was similar to several other selections, but they had the highest, or among the highest, yield of the selections tested and were moderately susceptible to sour rot. Selection 04 was generally similar to selections 03 and 05 except that 04 had lower yields in two of the four years tested. Selection 06 was distinctive in that it was generally the earliest ripening, had the smallest berries, the lowest yields, the lowest yield:pruning weight ratios, and was the least susceptible to sour rot.