KARAERIK UZUM

136 Agricultural and Natural Research & Reviews
1. Introduction
Viticulture in Türkiye is a highly productive cultural plant that can
maintain its economic production level in ecologically very different
regions. From this perspective, Türkiye is among the regions with the
most favorable climate for viticulture and is known as the gene center of the
grapevine, and therefore it has an old and deep-rooted viticulture culture. The
contribution of grapes to national income in the country’s economy is high,
and it is evaluated in different ways according to the characteristics of berry or
cultivars. It is a berry useful for our nutrition and health, as it contains vitamins
A, B, C, nitrogenous substances, glucose, iron, calcium, potassium, and sodium
in its structure (Çelik et al., 1998). Another important feature of viticulture is
that it enables the use of barren and inclined areas that are not suitable for the
cultivation of other agricultural products. Indeed, grapevine can usually be
grown in the whole of Türkiye, except for the high parts of the Central and
Eastern Anatolia Region and the coastline of the Black Sea Region (Doganay
1995). The most grape growing area and production regions in Türkiye are
the Aegean, Mediterranean, Mid-South, Southeast, Northeast, and Black Sea
regions, respectively. In fact, the Northeast Anatolian agricultural region, in
which Erzincan is within located, is relatively far from the features that can
respond to the ecological demands of the garapevine. However, the availability
of natural environmental conditions in and around the Erzincan plain plays a key
role in the execution of viticulture and fruit growing activities.
The Eastern Anatolia Region, where the continental climate is dominant,
has microclimate characteristics, and Erzincan is the most important province
in terms of economic viticulture potential in the Northeast Agricultural Region
(Karadoğan & Keskin 2017; Kaya & Kose 2020). In this province, viticulture
is carried out on an area of approximately 9000 decares and the production
amount is 6000 tons/year for many years (Kaya & Köse 2017). the only standard
cultivar of the North-East Agricultural Region, ‘Karaerik’ (Vitis vinifera L.)
(syn. Cimin) grape cultivar (Figure 1) plays a key role in Erzincan viticulture
and it is grown in 90-95% of the vineyards in the province. It has been widely
grown as table grapes in the town of Üzümlü and its surroundings/towns
(Bayırbağ, Göller, Pişkidağ, Karakaya, Çadırtepe) of the city of Erzincan for
years and has a high market value (Güneş et al., 2015; Köse et al., 2018). The
taste of berries of this grape cultivar lies on a fine point between mildly sweet
and sour with a specific aroma not found in other V. vinifera grape cultivars
(Kalkan et al., 2012). Although it is generally used as a table grape it can
also be preferred in the form of dried pulp, vinegar, and molasses (Hermosín-