Executive Summary : | In India, grape is mainly grown in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and some parts of North India. Grape growing regions mainly fall under sub-tropical to tropical conditions. About 80% of the grape produced in India is consumed as fresh fruit. In the case of fresh fruit, visual appearance is one of the main criteria for determining the quality. Large, uniformly sized, seedless berries along with pleasant flavor and aroma fetch a higher price in the market. Thus, berry size, bunch shape and size, bunch compactness are commercially important traits in grape. The prevailing commercial table grape variety Thompson Seedless and its clones require physical and chemical interventions to obtain the quality produce. These viticultural operations need to be carried out at specific stages of bunch development and require trained manpower resulting in substantial increase in cost of production and hence reduced benefit to the farmer. In recent years, grape growers have experienced a shortage of labors during critical stages of bunch development. Thus, the development of grape varieties with naturally bold berries and loose bunches is important to meet the industry’s demand. Research work at ICAR-NRC for Grapes during last three years has identified genomic regions and SNPs associated with the bunch quality traits. The proposed work aims to utilize the genomic and genetic resources available at the institute, to identify the candidate genes in the identified genomic regions and validate them through analysis of their expression in grape genotypes and hybrids showing variability for target traits. It is also proposed to develop and validate functional markers for their use in ongoing breeding programs. The outcomes of the project will provide much needed impetus to the efforts for developing grape varieties with improved bunch and berry quality. |