Authors : K.L. Chadha and S.D. Shikhamany

Commercial grape growing in India though only four decades old is considered to be highly remunerative enterprise. Grape growing in India is unique and unusual as Vinifera grapes are grown sucessfully outside the expected range of adaptation of this species. Evergreen nature of the vine without undergoing dormancy in the tropical areas, greater degree of apical dominance exhibited by the vine, double pruning with 1-2 harvests annually (upto 5 harvests in two years) in tropical regions highest yields per unit area in the world, absence of grape phylloxera, high incidence of diseases, short productive life span of 10-15 years and availability of fresh grapes of one variety or the other for about 8 months in a year are perhaps unique only to Indian viticulture.

The book is written by an eminent horticulturist Dr. K.L. Chadha, former Deputy Director General (Horticulture) and National Professor in Horticulture, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi who has experience of grape research both in North and South India. Dr. S.D. Shikhamany, a renowned grape researcher currently Director of IIHR, Bangalore having experience of grape research in South and West India .

Contents

INTRODUCTION: Grape Growing Regions, Area, Production.

CLIMATE : Rainfall, Temperature, Light, Relative humidity, Wind, Frost.

SOILS : Physical Characters — Soil colour, Soil texture, Soil / structure, Soil depth; Chemical Properties — Soil pH, Soil salinity, Nutrient composition, Organic matter; Soil Micro-organisms; Soils of Grape-growing Regions of India.

VARIETIES : Commercial Classification of Grapes — Table grapes, Raisin grapes, Wine grapes: Indigenous Germplasm; Varietal Situation; Description of Varieties — Commercial varieties, Other promising varieties, Newly released hybrids, New introductions.

VARIETAL IMPROVEMENT : Need for Improvement; Objectives of Improvement; Methods of Improvement — Introduction and Evaluation, Selection, Hybridization, Steps in hybridization, Hybrids evolved, Future thrusts in hybridization, Polyploidy, Mutation breeding.

PROPAGATION AND ROOTSTOCKS : Propagation — Hard-wood cuttings, Soft-wood cuttings, Micropropagation, Layering, Grafting, Budding, Propagation by seeds; Rootstocks — Nematode resistant rootstocks, Phylloxera resistant rootstocks, Salinity tolerant rootstocks, Drought tolerant rootstocks, Rootstocks for improvement of yield and quality Rootstocks for increased nutrient use efficiency.

VINEYARD ESTABLISHMENT : Selection of site — Climatic factors, Soil factors, Choice of variety, Irrigation water, Storage and transport facility, Non suitability of site; Selection of Variety — Inherent characters, Economic considerations, Labour requirement and availability, Ripening time; Field Layout — Direction and width of rows, Vine spacing, Erection fo trellis and planting.

TRAINING OF GRAPEVINE : Apical Dominance; Training Systems — Bower, Kniffin, Telephone, Head and Other promising systems.

PRUNING : Prevailing practices — Sing`le pruning -single cropping, Double pruning - single cropping, Double pruning - double cropping; Type and Time — Foundation pruning, Forward pruning; Shoot Pinching — During the growth period, During the fruiting period.

GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY : Growth — Dormancy, Budbreak, Apical dominance, Shoot growth; Productivity — Fruit-bud-formation, Flower development, Fruit set, Berry growth and development, Increasing the cluster weight; Ripening — Colour development, Reduction in acid content, Increase in sugar content, Development of flavour.

NUTRITION : Role of nutrients — Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Micronutrients; Manurial Practices — Pre-bearing age, Bearing age; Time of Application; Placement Methods — Broadcasting, Ring placement, Band placement, Pocket placement. Foliar application, Fertigation; Forms of Fertilizers; Integrated Nutrient Management; Leaf Analysis — Tissue to be sampled, Petiole nutrient standards, Fertilizer recommendations based on petiole analysis, Diagnosis and prediction of nutrient deficiencies by petiole analysis.

WATER MANAGEMENT : Water Relations in Grapevine — Effect of water stress; Irrigation — Prevailing practices, Scheduling irrigation, Methods of irrigation; Irrigation Water — Quality of water; Water Use Efficiency — Response of vines to irrigation, Effects of over-irrigation, Means to increase water-use efficiency in vineyards, Identification of critical stages, Conservation of soil moisture.

WEED CONTROL : Weed-flora, Weed Growth and Multiplication, Weed control.

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT : Components of Quality — Physical components, Chemical components; Quality of Grapes for Different Purposes — Table grapes, Raisin grapes, Grapes for juice, Wine grapes; Means to improve Quality — Increasing bunch size, Production of loose and well-filled clusters, Induction of seedlessness, Increasing berry adherence, Producing uniform berries in a bunch, Increasing berry crispness, Thin skin, Sugar-acid ratio, Factors affecting fruit quality,

DISEASES AND THEIR MANAGEMENT : Fungal Diseases — Anthracnose, Downy mildew, Powdery mildew, Rust, Dead arm and wilt, Branch wilt, Brown leaf spot, Leaf blight and bunch necrosis, Black rot, Botrytis rot, Cladosporium mould, Root rot, Foot rot, Other fungal diseases; Bacterial — Symptoms, Incidence and spread, Varietal reaction, Control measures; Virus Diseaes; Post-harvest Diseases — Grey mould rot, Green ball rot, Brown rot, Blue mould rot, Waxy or yeast rotting, Black rot, Rhizopus rot; Important Fungicides — Bordeaux mixture, Copper oxychloride, Sulphur, Wettable sulphur, Dithiocarbamates, Dicarboximides, Captafol, Dinacop, Chlorothalonil, Thiophanate methyl, Carbendazim, BenomyI, Tridemorph, Metalaxyl, Fosetyl-AL, Tridemifom.

PEST AND THEIR MANAGEMENT : Major Insect Pests — Stem gridler, Stem-borer, Mealy bugs, Thrips, Flea beetle, Scale insects, Defoliating beetles, Leafhopper, Grape leaf roller, Castor hairy caterpillar, Tobacco caterpillar, Horn worm, Bag worm, Termites (white ants), Wasps and bees; Other Insect Pests — White fly, Grasshopper, Weevil, Bark-eating caterpillar, Fruit-sucking moths, Berry beetles; Mites; Nematodes; Vertebrate Pests — Birds, Bats; Pesticide Residues.

DISORDERS : Ecological Disorders — Dead-arm and Trunk Splitting, Dry spot of berries, Salinity injury, Alkali injury; Physiological Disorders — Leaf chlorosis, Cane immaturity, Barrenness of vines, Rudimentary panicles, Pendant clusters, Water berries, Shot berries, Cluster-tip wilting, Preventive measures, Chicken and hen disorder, Uneven ripening, Post-harvest berry drop; Eco-physiological Disorders — Flower bud and flower drop, Blossom-end rot, Pink berry, Berry cracking and rotting; Non-specific Disorders.

HARVESTING AND POST-HARVEST MANAGEMENT : Harvest Index — Physical appearance, Climatic factors, Biochemical composition; Ripening — Factors affecting ripening Delaying Ripening; Harvesting — Mechanical harvesting; Grading; Fumigation; Packing — Types of Containers, Methods of Packing; Export of Grapes — Quality Standards for Exports, Cultural Practices for Producing Export Quality Grapes, Plant protection measures, Post harvest management; Processing of Grapes — Raisins, Wines, Juice, Canned Grapes, Jams and Jellies, Pickles, Byproducts; Transportation and Marketing.

SUBJECT INDEX

Reprinted ISBN : 81-85048-40-1

580+xiv; 116 Colour Photographs; Hardcover