EVALUATION OF NITROGEN MONITORING, BUD FERTILITYAND ‘THOMPSON SEEDLESS’ GRAPEVINE PRODUCTION ON DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS

Abstract

ABSTRACT Methods of nitrogen analysis were adopted in leaf tissues in the laboratory, nitrate content in the sap of petioles and chlorophyll relative index (CRI, in SPAD unit), as well as the evaluation of the buds fertility rates, production and qualitative aspects of cluster and berries of ‘Thompson Seedless’ vine, grafted on rootstocks ‘Harmony’, ‘Jales’ ‘Paulsen 1103’ and ‘SO4’. The applied dose of N was 80 kg ha-1, and the experiment was installed in the Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, Brazil. The experiment was performed in a randomized blocks design, with four treatments and five replicates, with the experimental plot represented by five plants. In addition to the analysis of N, cluster length and width (cm) and fresh mass (g), berries length, diameter (mm), volume (mL), mass of fresh matter of berries, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (TA), SS/TA ratio, potential bud fertility (productive, vegetative, dead and dark buds in %) and real bud fertility (%). There were differences in nitrogen content in the leaves, nitrate in sap and CRI of ‘Thompson Seedless’ in relation to rootstocks. ‘Thompson Seedless’ expressed better potential for the development of clusters and berries when grafted on ‘Harmony’.