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Abstract
2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid (Ethrel), applied to grapevines as an aqueous spray at 100, 200, or 400 ppm, induced hard seed formation in 6 of 13 seedless cultivars studied. Viable seeds were produced in 2 of these cultivars.
Ethrel also promoted femaleness in the staminate flowers of the SO4 rootstock, resulting in fruit and hard seeds in this normally fruitless cultivar.
Since the late 19th century when grape breeding began at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, a major goal has been to combine certain fruit attributes of Vitis vinifera L. table grapes, such as seedlessness, crisp texture and adherent skin, with some of the vegetative characters of native American hybrid (V. labruscana, Bailey) grape cultivars such as disease resistance and winter cold hardiness. Crisp texture has been one of the more elusive goals. Of the 42 table grape cultivars released by the Experiment Station (2), only one seeded cultivar, ‘Alden’, combines an adherent skin and crisp texture. ‘Remaily Seedless’ combines seedlessness (stenospermocarpy), an adherent skin and crisp berry texture with adaptive traits favorable to northeastern North American viticulture.