The textural properties of grape berry flesh were evaluated with a puncture test using a total of 87 cultivars, consisting of 62 vinifera cultivars (Vitis vinifera L.) and 25 labruscana cultivars (Vitis labruscana Bailey) in order to search cultivars with crisp flesh texture for table grape breeding. Crisp texture is the most desirable texture for tableuse, and was determined as easy breakdown on mastication and firm flesh, which was measured as small deformation at the first major peak (DFP) and large maximum force (MF), respectively, in force-deformation curve of the test. For the vinifera cultivars, the mean values of DFP and MF were significantly smaller and larger in table-use cultivars than wine-use and dual-purpose cultivars, respectively. The result indicated that the vinifera wine-use and the dual-purpose cultivars had soft and non-crisp flesh. Based on the puncture tests, the cultivars with a crisp texture (2.5 mm ≥ for DFP and 0.9 N ≤ for MF) were limited to 11 vinifera table-use cultivars such as `Baladi', `Cardinal', and `Muscat of Alexandria'; and one vinifera dual-purpose cultivar (`Terbash'). The DFP was generally high in labruscana cultivars, which include table-use and dual-purpose cultivars, resulting in lacking cultivars with crisp texture among labruscana cultivars. These results indicate that the cultivars with a crisp texture were restricted to a small source within vinifera cultivars.
Advances in table grape breeding in Japan