Abstract

Experiment was carried out throughout two successive seasons of 2016 and 2017 on Flame Seedless, Ruby Seedless and Thompson Seedless grapevines grown at the Experimental Orchard of Assiut University, Faculty of Agriculture. The aim of this study was to assess the impacts of abscisic acid (ABA), cluster thinning and their combinations with GA3 on yield weight of three important grape cultivars grown under hot region. Data revealed that, the application of abscisic acid (ABA) increased yield weight (kg/vine), while cluster thinning decreased it. During the 1st season of study (2016), all individual ABA treatments and ABA at 400 ppm combined with GA3 at 10 ppm significantly increased yield weight (kg/vine) comparing with the control treatment. As a result of ABA treatments at 200, 400 and 600 ppm and ABA at 400 ppm plus GA3 at 10 ppm, the yield was increased by 15.5%, 10.5%, 9.8% and 9.2%, respectively. During the 2nd season of study (2017), only ABA at 600 ppm treatment significantly surpassed the control treatment with an increment percentage of 20.5%.  The rest of treatments either had no effect or reduced the yield weight comparing with the control. On the other side, cluster thinning by removing 30% of the total clusters that the vine bearing significantly reduced the yield weight (kg/vine) during the two studied seasons. As a result of such treatment, the yield was reduced by 37.2% and 39.2% in 2016 and 2017 seasons, respectively.

Keywords

grape; Vitis vinifera; ABA; Cluster thinning; yield