Getting to the Bottom of Berry Scarring

摘要

SCARRING CAN BE a major quality defect of table grapes. Visibly scarred berries are generally clipped from clusters at harvest, increasing harvest costs and reducing efficiency; clusters with many scarred berries may be unmarketable.Scarred berries may also develop tears in their skins as they grow because scars do not stretch in the same way as normal skin. Torn skin results in open wounds that serve as entry points for rot-causing fungi and bacteria. Such infections may then spread to adjacent healthy berries, and eventually taint the entire cluster.