How to Choose Grape Seedling Varieties? A Detailed Guide to Propagation Methods

Grapes are a fruit people eat often in daily life, but there are thousands of grape varieties, and it is impossible for you to have tasted every one of them. If you want to grow grapes, it is recommended that you choose some of the varieties currently popular on the market.

I.Grape seedlings: what varieties are good?

1. Shine Muscat grape

Shine Muscat grape is high-yielding and stable in production, with large berries, disease resistance, good storage tolerance, and simple cultivation. The cluster is conical, weighing about 600 g, with large clusters reaching about 1.8 kg, and the average berry weight is 8-12 g. The berries are tightly set, oval, yellow-green, with a glossy surface and little bloom. The flesh is crisp and juicy, with a rose fragrance.

2. Kyoho grape

Kyoho grape is one of the main varieties in production, with strong adaptability, good disease resistance and cold resistance, and a preference for fertilizer and water. The clusters are large and the berries are large, with an average cluster weight of 400-600 grams, an average berry weight of about 12 grams, and a maximum of up to 20 grams. It ripens in late August; when ripe it is purple-black, with thick skin, abundant bloom, relatively soft flesh, sweet and juicy, with a strawberry aroma; the skin, flesh, and seeds separate easily, and the sugar content is 16%.

3. Summer Black grape

Summer Black grape is an excellent variety, with characteristics such as disease resistance, high yield, early ripening, storage tolerance, and good taste. Its young branches are yellow-green, and the leaves are large, light green, densely hairy. Most have 4 shallow lobes, with serrated edges. Mature new shoots are reddish-brown, and the winter buds are large and plump.

4. Sapphire grape

Sapphire is a mid-season variety, ripening in the open field from August to September; after ripening, the berries do not shatter and the tips do not rot, and they can hang on the vine for more than 1 month, with tolerance for storage and transport. The fruit color is blue-black, and coloring is fast and uniform. Cut into slices with a knife, the flavor is pure, crisp and sweet without residue, and the soluble solids content is above 20%; in dry areas with little rain, the sugar content is even higher, and it is easy to sun-dry into large blue-black raisins.

II. What are the propagation methods for grape seedlings?

1. Propagation

Cuttings must have been stored well in the previous winter, taken out after thawing, and cut into 25-30 cm long cuttings. The upper cut end of the cutting should be flat, 1-1.5 cm from the bud; the lower cut end is horseshoe-shaped. Tie 50-100 cuttings into a bundle and soak them in water for 24 hours. Irrigate the propagation field before cutting, apply 4000-5000 kg of base fertilizer per mu, and plow deeply and harrow finely. Ridge cutting roots earlier and sprouts faster than flat-bed cutting.

2. Propagation

Use surplus shoots or vine branches on the plant for propagation. Layering should be done around the start of the dog days, and generally the current year's new shoots are used, called green shoot layering. Shoot branches growing from the base of the plant can also be selected for layering, so that their secondary shoots grow upright, new roots grow at the lower nodes, and in autumn after the secondary shoots mature they are severed into independent plants, thus becoming layered seedlings.

3. Propagation

Grafting can be carried out during both the dormant period and the growing period. Dormant-period grafting mostly uses the whip-and-tongue method. Growing-period grafting can be carried out in both spring and summer. Grafting material uses hardwood in spring and green shoots in summer. The grafting methods used are respectively cleft grafting and cut grafting.

(1) Collection and winter storage of rootstock and scion. For grape grafting, the variety scions and rootstocks should be selected from branches that are robust, free of pests and diseases, and fully mature. The storage method for winter dormant shoots of rootstock and variety scions is the same as for cutting wood.

(2) Grafting methods mostly use the whip-and-tongue method and the cleft grafting method. Key points of the cleft grafting operation, cutting: according to the grafting requirements, select branches of similar thickness, soak them in clean water for 24 hours to fully absorb water, then cut them into sections of about 30 cm as rootstock, and scions 5-10 cm long with one plump bud.

The scion is generally cut 1-2 cm above the plump bud, and cut flat 4-5 cm below the bud. The rootstock branch is cut flat 4-5 cm above the terminal bud, and the lower end is cut about 1 cm near the rootstock node.

Use a grafting knife to split vertically downward in the center of the rootstock to a depth of 3-4 cm, and remove the buds on the rootstock. Then use the grafting knife to cut both sides of the scion 0.5-1 cm below the bud downward into a wedge shape. The cut surface is required to be smooth, flat, and straight.

Use the grafting knife to make a longitudinal cut in the upper end of the rootstock, then insert the prepared scion into the cut of the rootstock (at least one side's cambium aligned with the rootstock cambium). The scion cut surface is exposed 1-2 mm above the rootstock cleft, called whitening, which helps form callus tissue.

Then use a plastic strip 1 cm wide and 20-25 cm long to bind in a spiral from the lower part of the rootstock cut upward, or seal tightly with grafting wax.

4. Nutrient bag propagation

Grape nutrient pot propagation is also called container propagation. It integrates the advantages of various propagation techniques and is a commonly used propagation method in production. Grape nutrient pot propagation has the advantages of a high survival rate, convenient transport, and easy survival after transplanting; its technical points are as follows.

Cutting and soaking should be done 40-50 days before grape planting, with the same method as ordinary cutting propagation. Root promotion treatment: the method introduced in the first section can be used, or root soaking treatment with a rooting agent can be used.

Nutrient soil preparation method: 6-7 parts garden soil, 1-2 parts decomposed organic fertilizer, 2-3 parts peat soil or fine sand, and a small amount of oil cake and phosphate fertilizer, sifted and mixed evenly. Disinfect with an iron pot or chemicals to kill insect eggs and weed seeds.

Rooting agent treatment: before cutting, the cuttings are soaked in a 300-fold dilution of ABT rooting powder, giving a better rooting effect. Cutting: first open furrows and make beds (a greenhouse can also be used), 100-120 cm wide and 25-30 cm deep.

Film covering and management: use wooden poles to build a frame and make a plastic arch shed; control the temperature inside the shed at 25°C-30°C, and the relative humidity should be above 80%; water once every 7-10 days. After germination and leaf expansion, gradually remove the film and dismantle the arch shed.

Packaging and transport: place in wooden boxes or plastic boxes; during loading and transport, prevent inversion, and cover with a tarpaulin on the way to reduce water evaporation; sprinkle water once a day to prevent the seedlings from losing water and wilting. When loading and unloading, handle gently to prevent damage to the seedling roots.

In summary, the above are the recommended grape seedling varieties and propagation methods. See which ones you think are good and use them for reference and learning.

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