A new muscat flavor table grape cultivar Tiangong Liren

Abstract: Tiangong Liren is a new mid-ripening table grape cultivar derived from the Jumeigui grape seedling. The seedlings were raised in 2012, and the plants were transplanted to the grape breeding resource nursery of Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2013. It was initially selected in 2015 for its high yield, good coloring, rich flavor, strong muscat aroma, good quality and strong adaptability. After regional adaptability testing in multi-plot sites for 3 years (2019—2021), it was finally named Tiangong Liren. It is a tetraploid cultivar with bisexual flowers. The shoot tip is half-open with extremely dense villi and weak anthocyanins. The new shoots are semi-erect and the dorsal side of the internodes of the new shoots is green. While the ventral side of the internodes is green with red stripes and the density of erect villi is sparse. The upper surface of young leaves is yellowish green, and the grape creeping villi between the main veins on the back are dense. The tendrils are of medium length and distributed discontinuously. The mature leaves are green and heart shape with 3 or 5 lobes. The shape of the serrations is convex on both sides, and the ratio of the length to width of the serrations is 1.08. The petiole sinus is closed. The upper lateral sinus of the leaf overlaps slightly, while the lateral sinus is open. The leaf veins have weak anthocyanins, and the main veins on the back are crawling with sparse creeping villi. The growth potential of branches is strong. The bud burst rate is 91.6%, and the branches matured early and fully. The flower bud is well differentiated, and the first inflorescence usually emerges on the second or third node. The average fruiting branch rate is 96.4%, and the average number of the inflorescences per fruit branch is 2.65. The fruit clusters are cone and the density is mediumly compact. The fruit clusters are large with the average weight of 513.0 g. The shape of berries is elliptic withfuchsia peel, and the peel is medium thick and covered with thick fruit powder. The average single berry weight is 8.23 g, and the largest berry is 12.0 g. The flesh is little soft and juicy with strong muscat flavor. The quality of the berries is pretty good and nutritious. The soluble solid content of berries is 20.5%, the acid content is 3.24 g·kg^-1 and the vitamin C content is 76.9 mg·kg^-1 . The variety shows vigorous growth and excellent flower bud differentiation. It is also easy to bear secondary fruits with good yield. The average yield is recommended 1250-1500 kg per 666.7 m2 . Under the greenhouse cultivation conditions in Haining city, the bud break date is mid-March, the ing date is late April, and the berry ripening date is early August (primary fruits) and October (secondary fruits). The‘Beta’rootstock is suggested to use for the new variety. The spacing would be (1.0-2.4) m × (2.5-3.0) m. The middle or long shoot pruning is suggested for Tiangong Liren with T-shape in winter pruning. It would be suitably cultivated in both northern and southern parts of China.