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Technologies Developed

1.    Varieties:

• Manjri Naveen: A clonal selection from the centennial seedless having self-thinning of bunches and uniform naturally bold white seedless berries with firm pulp and mild Vanessa flavour. It is early ripening by 30 days in comparison to Thompson Seedless. The table grape selection is suited for export purpose.

• Red Globe: Colored, Naturally bold (size > 22+mm), seeded table grape is recommended for both domestic and international markets (Gulf & South Asian countries).

• Kishmish Rozavis White: A white mutant selection from Kishmish Rozavis suitable for Raisins and table purpose. It is a good yielder of quality fruits.

• A 18-3: A black seedless variety with rudimentary seeds moderately tolerant to mildews, a regular yielder even under poor soil conditions. Suited for table purpose, black raisins and export of fresh grapes.

• Country Bangalore, E12-2, Pusa Navrang and Medika (Pusa Navrang X Flame Seedless) have been identified for juice production. Medika is also recommended for Manukka.

• Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot are identified for red wine production while Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc for white wine production.

2.    Rootstocks:

• DogRidge (Vitis champini) is widely recommended for Thompson seedless under heavy soil conditions while 110R is recommended for light soils for both table and wine grape varieties. 110 R also recommended for soils contaminated with sodium as it has excellent Na exlusiveness during nutrient absorption.

• The method of mass multiplication of DogRidge rootstocks through cuttings is standardized. Rooting hormone IBA @ 1000ppm for propagation through cuttings is optimum for June – July. However, during low temperature, the concentration of IBA needs to be increased up to 3000ppm.

• Tas-A-Ganesh vines in situ grafted on dogridge rootstock perform better in terms of shoot length, shoot diameter, pruned biomass, which result in superior berry quality (berry diameter, berry weight & bunch size) and high yield as compared to own rooted vines.

• Tas-A-Ganesh grafted on DogRidge rootstock is recommended for better water use efficiency (saving of irrigation water by 25%) over own rooted vines

3.    Standardization of canopy architecture to maximize quality grape production:

• The performance in terms of growth, yield and quality of Tas-A-Ganesh vines grafted on Dogridge rootstocks on double stem is better than that on single stem under flat roof gable system of training

• The vertical positioning of shoots is recommended for better fruitfulness as compared to horizontal positioning in Tas-A-Ganesh.

• Retention up to 50 bunches per vine spaced at 10” X 6” is ideal for uniform color development in Sharad seedless grafted on DogRidge rootstock   

4.    Water use efficiency in vineyards:

• Variable irrigation levels as per growth phase wise applied through drip net resulted in higher water use efficiency (141% as compared to uniform irrigation (at 80% replenishment of PE i.e. Pan Evaporation).

Irrigation water requirement for surface drip irrigated Thompson Seedless vines on Dogridge (based on pan evaporation) without mulch/ antitranspirant (without mulch and antitranspirant)

* Stage coincides with the rainy season.  Irrigation may not be required based upon the soil type. Irrigation water used for above trial had EC 1.8 dS/m

• The irrigation water quantity is reduced by 25 % by following techniques: Use of Mulch and Antistress in combination – Application of Bagasse (3” thick layer and covering the 3’ vine root zone strip) @ 10 t per acre and spraying of Antistress @ 4-6 ml/ L at 30, 60 and 90 days after foundation pruning and 30 and 60 days after fruit pruning.

• Subsurface irrigation in the existing surface drip irrigated system by applying irrigation directly in the root zone at 9” depth in heavy soils and at 4-5” depth in light soil.  Any hollow material of approx. 2” diameter open on both sides (PVC pipes, earthen pipes, discarded plastic bottles) with holes on lower side and microtubes can be used for delivering irrigation water in the root zone.

5.    Fertilizer use efficiency in vineyards

• Fertigation results in 60% saving of NPK with better yield and high quality of fruits over the conventional method of soil application.

6.    Remedies for nutrient disorder:

• Pre and post bloom sprays of Ca and Mg salts @ 0.5%.reduces the  bunch, stem necrosis disorder associated with Ca and Mg deficiency and their impaired translocation in vines.

• K application corrected the inward leaf curl, shiny spot symptom and marginal necrosis of leaf blade due to K deficiency in Thompson seedless and its mutants.

7.    Application of bioregulators

• Application of Hydrogen cynamide @ 1-1.5% at the time of pruning induces uniform bud break in grafted Thompson seedless vines.

• Application of GA @ 10ppm at 5 leaf stage, 15ppm at 8 leaf stage and 40ppm at 75% bloom results in loose bunches with bold berries in seedless grapes.

• Two Application of CPPU (1ppm) + GA (30ppm) at 3-4mm berry stage and CPPU (2ppm) + GA (40ppm) at 6-7mm berry stage increases the berry size along with thicker pedicel and reduces the rachis drying for prolonged shelf life after cold storage in Thompson seedless grapes .

• Two applications of GA3 (30ppm)+0.75ppm CPPU at 3-4mm berry stage and GA3  (40ppm) + 0.75CPPU at 6-7 mm berry stage is recommended for improving berry size and quality in Sharad seedless.

8.    Disease forecasting:

• Weather based disease-forecasting technique involving METWIN 2 Software for downy mildew & NRCG-SKAI-PM Expert; software developed at the center for powdery mildew is being used by the leading grape growing and processing firms and also adopted by Departments of Agriculture of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh for the disease management in grapes.

9.    Management of pests in grapevine:

The integrated pest management module for management of important pests like mealybug, thrips and mites has been developed and published in the form of extension bulletins which can also be accessed at our website.

9.1    Management of Mealybugs

1. Collection and destruction of the mealybug - infested bunches at the time of harvesting in March-April.

2. Collection and destruction of all the pruned material from mealybug infested gardens in April/May.

3. Removal of loose bark and destruction of the debarked material  in April/May.

4.  Removal of weeds and alternate host plants harbouring the mealybugs in and around the vineyards throughout the year.

5. Locating the ant colonies and destroying them with drenching of chlorpyriphos 20 EC  @ 2 .5 ml/l or apply malathion dust @ 10 kg/ac in April-May.

6. Swabbing/washing of trunk and cordons with 2 ml of dichlorvos 76 EC  + 2 g of fish oil rosin soap in a litre of water in April -May .

7. Soil drenching with imidacloprid 200 SL @ 1.50 ml/l./plant in the basins around the trunk or through drip irrigation @ 400 ml/ ac in April-May.

8. Foliar spray with methomyl  @ 1g/l.after 30 days of soil drenching.

9. Releasing the Australian ladybird beetle (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) @ 5000/ha. in August-September to clear the mealybug population present on the plants.

10. Alternatively two to three foliar sprays of Verticillium lecanii / Beauveria bassiana  (2x10⁸ cfu/ml/g) @ 5 gm/l. at 15 days interval in the rainy season (July-August) can be given.

    After fruit pruning

    Steps  No. i-viii  to be followed after foundation pruning  should be repeated in October-November also.

9. Monitoring and destroying the mealybug colonies as and when seen   on the trunk, stem etc from the day of pruning  i.e. November to February.

10. Foliar spray of the following chemicals (Table 1) depending on the incidence of the mealybugs is recommended to keep the mealybug population under check.

       Table 1. List of insecticides recommended to manage mealybugs

*PHI= Pre Harvest Interval

11. Releasing the Australian ladybird beetle (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) @ 5000/ha. during mid December - first fortnight of January.

12. One or two applications of dichlorvos  76% EC (2 ml/l) from mid February or to the first week of March  if necessary, depending upon the incidence of mealybugs and time of harvesting.

13. One  jet spray of water can be given on bunches if the  mealybugs are present on bunches  just prior  to harvest to dislodge the mealybugs .

9.2    Management of thrips

Sanitation: Sanitation is to be maintained for eliminating the sources of the thrips infestation. Keep the garden clean by removing weeds. Plant debris from previous crops is also a source of both immature and adult thrips and they should be destroyed.

Cultural method: Deep ploughing in summer after April pruning  or exposure / raking of soil in vineyards helps to destroy its pupal stages and minimizing the incidence.

Biological Control : The green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea is commonly associated predator with insect pests in the vineyards. Spraying of fungal pathogens namely Verticillium lecanii or Beauveria bassiana @ 5 ml or 5 g/L helps in reducing thrips population in cold and humid climate especially when the temperatures are between 20-25⁰c and humidity of above 80% .

 Botanical Pesticides: Different neem formulations (EC based) depending upon the strength of botanical viz., 1% @ 2.5  ml and 5% @ 0.5   ml/l can be sprayed like insecticide @ 400 litre spray solution per acre.

Chemical Control: Effective management of thrips on grapes relies primarily on the use of insecticides.  The chemicals should be applied at critical growth stages like new flush, flowering and berry developing stages. Indiscriminate use of chemicals leads to pesticide residue problem in the fruits and therefore Pre harvest interval (PHI) should be taken into consideration before spraying these insecticides.

 Table 2. List of insecticides recommended to manage thrips

9.3    Management of mites

Cultural method: Plant debris after pruning is a source of both immature and adult mites and they should be destroyed. Weeds and alternate host plants inside and near the outside the vineyard should be removed. Proper irrigation, high volume with high pressure water sprays help to reduce the dust and water stress, increase the humidity in vineyard and also dislodge the mites from foliage.

Biological Control: The fungi Beauveria bassiana, Verticillium lecanii, Hirsutella thompsonii and Pacilomyces fumosoroseus can be used in the management of spider mites on grapevine.

 Botanical Pesticides: Different neem formulations containing azadirachtin depending upon the strength of botanical viz., 1% @ 2.0 ml and 5% @ 0.5 ml/l can be sprayed.

Chemical Control: First application should be made on the appearance of mites followed by another application after two weeks.

 Table 3. List of chemicals recommended to manage mites

10.    Increased shelf life and value addition:

• Dipping of Calcium Chloride or Nitrate @ 1% aqueous solution between 75-105 day after pruning increases shelf life of Thompson Seedless after 30 days of cold storage.

• Harvesting the berries at green stage and at 20˚ Brix and cutting the bunches above the knot and pre cooling within 4 hours of harvest increases shelf life after cold storage

• Using high density Polyethylene polyliner and absorbent tissue paper prolongs shelf life of export grapes

• One or two pre harvest sprays with the Bio Control agent Trichoderma harzianum isolated 5 R AT 20+ 3 days and packing grapes with 2.3 gm Sodium Meta bisulphite instead of 5 gm per 5 Kg grapes minimizes SO2 injury to below acceptable limits, prevented post harvest decay and maintain the freshness of grapes for longer duration in cold store table grapes for export. The technology is well accepted by the grape growers. The technology for commercial production of Trichoderma suitable for spray in vineyards is given to MAHAGRAPES, a Grape Grower’s Cooperative Society.

11.    Monitoring of agrochemical residues

• Residue analysis method development: Simple multiresidue methods have been developed for the simultaneous analysis of more than 100 pesticides in grapes and grape-processed products (wine, juice and raisin) by GC-MS(/MS) and LC-MS/MS at concentrations of ≤10 ng/g with high precision and accuracy. The methods allow processing of nearly 25 samples per person per day (8h working period) and thus increased the output of a laboratory significantly.

• Minimizing pesticide residues through recommendation of pre-harvest interval (PHI): PHI of different fungicides and insecticides with respect to their EU-MRL has been recommended on the basis of the dissipation studies at recommended and double doses with multiple applications. Such recommendations helped the growers to regulate the usage of pesticides in vineyards and thus minimized the residue problems