Abscisic Acid Application Timing and Concentration Affect Firmness, Pigmentation, and Color of `Flame Seedless' Grapes

By C. Peppi, Matthew W. Fidelibus, N. Dokoozlian. 2006

216 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Poor coloration of red grapes grown in warm regions is a frequent problem that decreases production efficiency. Most table grape growers use ethephon to improve color, but its influence on color development is erratic, and it may reduce berry firmness. Application of S-abscisic acid (ABA) to grapes can increase the anthocyanins in their skins, but no protocols have been established regarding its potential commercial use. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of ABA and ethephon treatments on fruit quality characteristics, including those related to firmness and color, on 'Flame Seedless' grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) in several experiments over three consecutive seasons. Abscisic acid had few effects on berry weight or juice composition, but it increased berry softening and skin anthocyanin concentrations. The effect of ABA on berry firmness was similar to ethephon. With respect to skin anthocyanin concentration and fruit color characteristics, 300 mg·L -1 ABA applied at veraison was superior to the other ABA concentrations and to ethephon applied at any of the times tested. Moreover, any concentration of ABA between 75 and 300 mg·L -1 applied after veraison improved color better than ethephon applied at the same time. There was a highly significant inverse curvilinear relationship between skin anthocyanin concentration and the lightness and hue of the berries. Anthocyanin concentrations between 0.01 and 0.04 mg·cm -2 had little effect on berry lightness and hue, so researchers should consider measuring color, not just anthocyanins, when evaluating the quality of red table grapes.

Subfields: Food Science, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/6cb947d338ed30968a5af6a920f1f660008f0eec

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Food Science

1. M. Walker
2. M. Peppi
3. Matthew W. Fidelibus
4. É. Duchêne
5. J. Tello
6. J. Ibáñez

In Plant Science

1. Jaume Flexas
2. H. Medrano
3. C. Lovisolo
4. A. Ferrandino
5. M. Walker
6. M. Peppi
7. A. Schubert
8. S. Abrams

Citations in the corpus

• Grapevine quality: A multiple choice issue (2017, background): “Exogenous ABA application is used in the production of table grapes to hasten ripening and increase berry color of different colored varieties (Cantín et al., 2007; Ferrara et al., 2013, 2015; Peppi et al., 2006).”
• Application of abscisic acid rapidly upregulated UFGT gene expression and improved color of grape berries (2008, methodology): “By the last sampling date, all fruit had achieved the minimum sugar and sugar:acid ratio required, and application of ABA had little if any effect on fruit composition, as observed by others (JEONG et al. 2004, LEE et al. 1997, PEPPI et al. 2006).”
• Comparative Study of Texture Properties, Color Characteristics, and Chemical Composition of Ten White Table-Grape Varieties (2011, background): “…in order not to induce modifications of the chemical-physical fruit characteristics in a diversified manner among the cultivars, for all varieties plant-growth regulators were not used, although their use is common practice in table grape production (Sato et al. 2004, Peppi et al. 2006).”
• Drought-induced changes in development and function of grapevine (Vitis spp.) organs and in their hydraulic and non-hydraulic interactions at the whole-plant level: a physiological and molecular update (2010, background): “Exogenous ABA, used to promote ripening in berries (Peppi et al. 2006; Cantín et al. 2007; Peppi and Fidelibus 2008) induces the accumulation of the mRNA of VvmybA1, a regulatory gene of anthocyanin biosynthesis of grape, leading to an increase of anthocyanin accumulation in Cabernet Sauvignon…”
• Profiles of Abscisic Acid and Its Catabolites in Developing Merlot Grape (Vitis vinifera) Berries (2009, background): “ABA applied to Flame Seedless grapes led to increases in berry size and reductions in juice acidity (Peppi and Fidelibus 2008) and to decreases in berry firmness and increases in skin anthocyanins (Peppi et al. 2006, Peppi and Fidelibus 2008).”
• Recent Advances in Hormonal Regulation and Cross-Talk during Non-Climacteric Fruit Development and Ripening (2019, background): “In ‘Flame Seedless’ grapes, increased anthocyanin content, improvement in color, and acceleration of fruit softening were observed under exogenous treatment with ABA [75].”