Quality and antioxidant potential of ‘BRS clara’ and ‘Arizul’ grapes influenced by rootstocks in a tropical region

Abstract

ABSTRACT Seedless table grapes cultivars have been studied in the Sub-middle region of São Francisco Valley at northeast Brazil. For that region, it is important to identify cultivars with productive potential, better quality and efficiency, minimizing the expenses in terms of inputs and workforce, when compared to traditional cultivars. Specifically, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of different rootstocks on the quality and on the antioxidant potential of BRS Clara and Arizul table grapes cultivars of two production cycles. The experimental area belongs to the Experimental Field of Bebedouro/Embrapa Semiárido, located in the sub-middle region of São Francisco Valley, in Petrolina - PE, northeast Brazil. Both BRS Clara and Arizul cultivars were analyzed individually using IAC 313, IAC 572, IAC 766, SO4, Paulsen 1103 and Harmony rootstocks, during production cycles from October/2016 to February/2017 and from March/2007 to June/2017. The experimental design was planned in randomized blocks, in a 2 (production cycle) x 6 (rootstock) factorial, with three replications each. More favorable conditions to quality for ‘BRS Clara’ grapes, as evidenced by higher berry mass, lower soluble solids (SS)/titratable acidity (TA) ratio and higher antioxidant activity, were observed after the March-June, 2017 harvest, especially from scions grafted onto IAC 572, SO4 and Harmony. The Arizul cultivar was characterized by better quality after the March-July, 2017 harvest, showing higher berry mass, lower acidity and lower SS/TA ratio and a better color mainly in SO4 and Harmony rootstocks. Therefore, an appropriate rootstock enhances the quality of the grapes.