Breeding of a new table grape cultivar Hongyanxiang

Abstract: Hongyanxiang is an early-ripening table grape with strong muscat aroma. This cultivar was selected from the self-pollinated seedings of 87-1 (Vitis vinifera L.) in 1995. After the seed was sown in the greenhouse of Shenyang Agricultural University in March 1996, the seedlings were normally watered and pruned. Hongyanxiang first flowered and bore berry in 2000. It had good coloring, strong aroma and easy flower bud differentiation, and thereafter was named 14-10 in 2006. Since the berry of 14- 10 showed high soluble solid content (w) and strong muscat aroma, it was grafted on Beta’(Vitis riparis Michx × V. labruscana Bailey) rootstock for further observation, and 14-10 was thus selected as the superior line in 2010. Through years of continuous observation on the growth and fruiting habits of grafted seedlings, 14-10 vine showed stable berry economic characteristics and high-yield performance with good quality, and it was determined as the final line in 2015, and released as Hongyanxiang in 2019. Hongyanxiang is a diploid cultivar with bisexual flowers, its new cane is semi-erect and the tip of the young cane is half- open with medium- density villi. The front color of the young leaf is reddish brown, and the average length of the tendril is 1.71 cm. The adult leaves of Hongyanxiang are pentagonal and five lobed, with an average leaf area of 434.3 cm2 . The petiole is concave, the overlapping type is closed, the average sawtooth length is about 1.5 cm, the upper crack is deeply carved and the lobes are slightly overlapped. However, the lower crack is closed. The color of Hongyanxiang canes is yellowish brown after maturation. The berry of Hongyanxiang has the characteristics of early maturity and high yield. The inflorescence of Hongyanxiang is conical in shape, moderate tightness without shoulder, 17.5-23.5 cm long and 12-16 cm wide. The average inflorescence mass is 491.6 g and the average in-florescence stem length is 2.1 cm. The shape of berries is oval with pink peel, and the peel is thin and covered with fruit powder, the flesh quality is medium, and there are 1-2 seeds inside. The average berry weight is 7.1 g, the soluble solid content is 18.5%, and the titratable acid is 0.45%. Compared with the parent 87-1, the inflorescence and berry have potential of higher yield, brighter color, higher sugar content and stronger muscat flavor. Hongyanxiang is an early maturing table grape cultivar, and it begins to sprout around April 30 in the open field cultivation in Shenyang area, and blooms in early June. The berry of Hongyanxiang begins to mature from late August to early September. Normally, this cultivar takes 115-120 days from bud break to berry maturation. Hongyanxiang is suitable to be cultivated in hedgerow or trellis cultivation form in northern China. It is suggested to select Beta’rootstock seedlings with developed roots. The plant spacing in the row is 1 m and spacing between rows is 3-4 m, 167-222 seedlings are planted per 666.7 m2 , and the planting ditch needs to be dug according to the row spacing before planting. The short cane pruning is suggested for Hongyanxiang with dragon-vine' shape cultivation in winter pruning. For the one-year-old Hongyanxiang, the thickness of cane to be sheared should be more than 0.8 cm and convenient to be fixed on the trellis in the spring of the next year. Hongyanxiang is easy to differentiate flower buds in cold areas, and the flower thinning should be carried out 15 days before full bloom to reduce nutrient loss.