conference schedule and program with abstracts - Horticulture ...

O-11
Recent trends and technologies for the improvement of seedless table grape breeding in
Israel
Avi Perl
Department of Fruit Tree Sciences, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel
Corresponding author: vhlperl@agri.gov.il
Seedless grapes are generally preferred by consumers for fresh consumption. Approximately
80% of the table grapes exported in the Western world are seedless. The general objectives in
most breeding programs of table grapes can be summarized as follows: improved eating quality
extension of the season by creating early maturing types and late maturing types, seedless
selections lacking seed rudiments under diverse growth conditions, attractive appearance, large
berry size, bright colors, unusual shapes, long shelf life, firm flesh, naturally loose bunches,
uniform berries, and novel tastes and aromas. Most commercial seedless cultivars are
stenospermocarpic and require normal fertilization for fruit set. Plant growth regulators are one
of the important factors affecting the success of embryo rescue and have been widely used to
improve the efficiency of embryo germination during the in vitro stage. The effect of growth
regulators applied in the vineyard, before and after anthesis, on the efficiency of embryo rescue
will be discussed. Application of several phytohormones enabled the temporary conversion of
seedless maternal lines lacking any rudiment into seeded, thus increasing the choice of maternal
lines suitable for cross pollination. Examples for different, new and promising selections
recently developed in our breeding project will be presented. These selections represent different
breeding goals and are targeted to different sectors of the fresh grape market.
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