A new early season tetraploid grape cultivar ‘Meixiangbao’

Abstract：‘Meixiangbao’is a tetraploid, early season table grape cultivar with aromatic flavor and goodeating quality. The original plant was selected from a cross between‘Muscat Ottonel’and‘Kyoho’at thevineyard in Pomology Institute Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 1980. It was selected in 1991for its good skin colour and big fruit grain. From 2010, it was evaluated again and selected as the finalline. After several years of observation, it was finally released as‘Meixiangbao’after the validation by theCrop Variety Registration Committee of Shanxi Province.‘Meixiangbao’is a tetraploid Euro-Americanhybrids and bisexual flower. The vigour of the vine is medium. The shoot tip is half open with sparse hair,young shoots are half upright, green with purple red, medium tomentum on the under surface. The tendrilis discontinuous and bifurcated, the color is near yellow-green. The bud is slightly pointed and slightlyheld out, anthocyanin coloration of buds is strong. The color of dorsal and ventral side of internodes isgreen with red strips. The upper surface of a young leaf is pea green color while the under surface of ayoung leaf is spinach green color. The shape of the mature leaves is pentagonal with undulate sides, medi⁃um thickness. The blade margin is pronounced in undulation. The petiole sinus is open and“U”shape.The teeth are short with both convex and straight sides. Tooth at petiole sinus is absent and limited byveins, medium deep etching fissure. The upper surface is green with rugose texture and glossy appear⁃ance. Anthocyanin coloration of main veins on lower leaf surface is extremely weak. The average length ofleaves is 12.2 cm, and the width is 18.1 cm, the average length of petiole is 9.6 cm. First inflorescenceusually born in third, second in fourth. The color of the nodes and branches are dark red, the averagelength of the nodes is 7 cm. The cluster of‘Meixiangbao’is conical, has an average weight of 230 g, aver⁃age length of 16.5 cm and average width of 10.5 cm. The cluster density is medium to tight. The berry isoval or elliptic shaped, 22.2 mm in diameter and 22.0 mm long, the average weight is 7 g with the maxi⁃mum of 9 g. The berries are uniform in shape and color, usually purplish red. The thickness of the skin isthin to medium. The flesh is juicy and softer, and the average soluble solid content is 21.1%. Flavour ismuscat and strawberry. The number of seeds per berry is ranged from 2 to 3. In the Jinzhong area ofShanxi, the time of budburst is usually late April, and flowering at late May, the fruit ripens in early tomiddle August. The average rate of fruiting shoot is 45.1% and the yield is about 25 tones per hm2. Verti⁃cal trellis system and fan shaped pruning were recommended in the northern area. The vine has mediumresistance to powder and downy mildew. A spray program suitable for disease control with most Euro-American hybrids cultivars should be applied. Botrytis bunch rot and sour rots may cause losses if harvestis delayed, especially after rainfall. About commercial production, flower thinning and cluster trimming isunnecessary for its suitable grain size and fruit firmness，and potassium phosphate fertilizer should be sup⁃plemented after veraison.