Pre-harvest ethephon (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid) on berry quality of 'Beidaneh Ghermez' grape

摘要

Pre-harvest ethephon (2-chloroethyl phosphonic acid) sprays at four levels (0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm), at 20% to 30% veraison enhanced berry maturation and other quality of( Vitis vinifera cv. Beidaneh Ghermez). 'Beidaneh Ghermez' is one of the most popular red seedless table grapes in the Middle East, but is usually has poor berry color. Ethephon application did not significantly affect the yield as compared to non-treated control, but fruit maturation (color) and berry size significantly (P = 0.05) increased as the rate of ethephon increased. Total berry skin anthocyanins significantly (P = 0.05) increased with every incremental increase in ethephon rate. The treatments did not significantly affect soluble solids concentrations (SSC), titratable acidity (TA) or juice pH. The highest SSC and TA were recorded in the control. The relationships between anthocynins and berry skin-color was linear. The grape berries receiving ethephon were less firm, but they had better berry quality (appearance) than those with no treatment (control).