Breeding of Fruit and Plantation Crops

Introduction

• Grapes are reported to have been introduced in Tropical India about 2600 years ago in 620 BC (Olmo, 1976). Commercial cultivation did not start until the beginning of 20th Century. During 1930, Shree R.S.Pillay, identified Anab-e-Shahi from the collections of Nawab Baquer Ali Khan and subsequently its commercial cultivation picked up in South India. Bhokri and Cheema Sahebi in Maharashtra, Bhokri and Muscat Hamberg in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore Blue in Karnataka are the introductions The commercial varieties of grapes were introduced into India mostly by invaders of Iran and Afghanistan (Thaper, 1960).


• Muhammed Bin Tughlaq introduced, Bhokri,Fakhri and Sahebi cultivars in Aurangabad (Daulatabad) in 1338 (Pillay,1968). Large scale introduction in a planned manner were initiated at Lyallpur as early as 1928, when S.B.S.Lal Singh, was Head of Department of Horticulture, introduced as many as 116 grapes varieties from different grape growing countries (Singh and Singh,1940,1942). The earlier promising introduction includes, Thompson Seedless, Perlette and Beauty Seedless, from USA,Kishmish Beli and Kishmish Charni from USSR (Singh and Singh,1972).




• The cultivars like Ruby Seedless,Gordo Blano,(Reisling, MS 18-55,MS 19-77,MS 16-2,Wortly Hall hybrids from Australia,Totlocha from Brazil Flame Seedling 1281,Dogridge,Pride,Dixie,Wedor and Black Cornith-2 from USA,Surnak Kitabiskij, Pozdrijwir and Shirajx-6 from USSR, Malvasiafina (Douro), Boal De Alicante, Tinta Deira Preta, Jampal, Tinta Roriz, from Portugal and 0912 Horizon (SW) , 0913 Leon Millet, Foch and 0912 Swanson Red from Canada for wine, raisin and table purposes have been introduced and are under evaluation. Further, number of Vitis sp.have been introduced for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses e.g. V.gigas, V.caribea, V.munsoniana, V.smalliana,V.cineraria, V.shuttleworthi, V.arizonica and V.monocola from USA (Singh and Pana,1993).

Selection

• Open pollinated seedling segregates for a large number of characters and hence the population of seedlings from open pollinated seeds is a potential source for selection of desirable type e.g. Cheema Sahebi (Sel-7), Selection-49. Some promising seedlings from open pollinated population of Pandhari Sahebi and Kabul Monukka were also selected.Clonal selection is also one of the methods of fruit improvement. Due to natural mutation in existing cultivars considerable variation occurs between individuals that help in varietal improvement through clonal selection. The promising clonal selections of grapes are as follows:


Cultivars	Clonal Parent	Characteristics
Tas-A-Ganesh	Thompson Seedless	Developed by Mr.Arue of Borgoan in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Its berries are quite elongated and respond to GA3treatment.
Rao sahebi	Cheema Sahebi (Sel-7)	Isolated by Rao Saheb Kadlag of Sangamner in Nasik district of Maharashtra. Fruits have longer berries with stronger attachment to rachis which is a major problem in Cheema Sahebi.
Sonaka and Manik Champa	Thompson Seedless	Sonaka has much elongated berries as compared to Tas-A- Ganesh. It gives better response to GA3.
Dilkhus	Anab-e-Shahi	Selection was made at Hyderabad. It produces golden yellow elongated seeded berries in attractive bunches. The yield potential is almost same as in parent.

Cultivars Clonal Parent Characteristics
Tas-A-Ganesh Thompson

• Seedless Developed by Mr.Arue of Borgoan in Sangli district of Maharashtra. Its berries are quite elongated and respond to GA3treatment. Rao sahebi Cheema Sahebi (Sel-7) Isolated by Rao Saheb Kadlag of Sangamner in Nasik district of Maharashtra. Fruits have longer berries with stronger attachment to rachis which is a major problem in Cheema Sahebi.
• Sonaka and
Manik Champa Thompson

• Seedless Sonaka has much elongated berries as compared to Tas-A-Ganesh. It gives better response to GA3.Dilkhus Anab-e-Shahi Selection was made at Hyderabad. It produces golden yellow elongated seeded berries in attractive bunches. The yield potential is almost same as in parent.

Selection made by Institutes
a. Pusa Seedless from Thompson Seedless

• Developed at IARI, New Delhi. It differs from the parent in respect of having more elongated berries. Vine vigorous and heavy yielding. TSS 22-24%, acidity 0.77% and juice content 65%. It ripens in the middle of June.
b. HS 37-6 from Perlette: Developed at HAU, Hissar. This cultivar is 15 days earlier in maturity than the parent

Hybridization

• Grapes are highly heterozygous and are propagated asexually at commercial scale. Inbreeding results in rapid loss of vigour and fertility of vine, even in first generation. The crossing of unrelated parents with good combining ability followed by raising a large number of hybrid seedlings in each combination and rigorous selection may result in good ideotype of commercial use.


• In India, hybridization work was started in 1958 at IARI, New Delhi. The purpose of hybridization at IARI, New Delhi was to develop early maturing, high yielding, better quality seedless varieties with resistant to biotic stresses. However, IIHR, Bangalore, started breeding programme in 1968, with objective to develop superior varieties for table, raisins, wine and juice, On the basis of types of parent used, it can be grouped into two (a) Interspecific / Intergeneric hybridization and (b) Interspecific or intervarietal hybridization.

Interspecific / Intergeneric hybridization

• Muscadinia is a rich source of resistance to diseases and pests and also possesses a unique and delightful flavor and aroma. The crosses between Vitis and Muscadinia which differ in chromosome number are made with difficulty, but most of the resulting hybrids remain sterile. The pollen of M.rotundifolia will fertilize the egg cell of V.vinifera but the reciprocal cross is less successful. Partly fertile F1 hybrids (2x=39) can cross reciprocally between themselves or with V.vinifera x M.rotundifolia which have been further improved by back crossing with V.vinifera, resulting in some fertile vines that produce acceptable quality table grapes (Olmo 1971).


• Crossing within Muscadinia has given outstanding self fertile cultivars like Tarheel (M.rotundifolia x M.munsoniana),South Land, Magron, Regale (Cold hardy ) Sterling (cold hardy) and Triumph (bronze cloured berry weighing 7.9g). Telki 5A (V.berlendieri x V.riparia) highly resistant to Phylloxera, tolerant to lime soils and moderately resistant to nematodes, Harmony (1613 x V.champini planchon cv.Dogridge) has been developed as a result of interspecific hybridization.

Intervarietal hybridization

• A few promising hybrids identified through inter varietal hybridization at IARI were, Hybrid 62-37 (Hur x Pusa Seedless), H62-65 (Hur x Pusa Seedless),H-62-20 (hur x Black Hamburg) H-62-67(Hur x Bharat Early),H-63-10 (Bhokri x Pearl of Casaba), H-63-32 (Bhokri x Pearl of Casaba). In 1996, cultivars Pusa Navrang (Madeleine Angevine x Rubi Red and in 1997 Pusa Urvashi (Hur x Beauty Seedless) were released from IARI, New Delhi.


• The promising hybrids developed at IIHR, Bangalore were Arkawati (Black Champa x Thomson Seedless),Arka Kanchan (Anab-e-Shahi x Queen of the Vine Yards), Arka Shyam (Bangalore Blue x Black Champa), Arka Hans (Bangalore Blue x Anab-e-Shahi),Arka Chitra (Angur Kalan x Anab-Shahi), Arka Krishna (Black Champa x Thompson Seedless),Arka Majestic (Angur Kalan x Black Champa),Arka Neelmani (Black champa x Thompson Seedless),Arka Soma (Anab –e-Shahi x Queen of the Vine Yards),Arka Thrishna (Bangalore Blue x Convert Large Black ),Arka Shweta Syn,Shweta Seedless (Anab-e-Shahi x Thompson Seedless).

Hybridization technique

• It includes the choices of parents, emasculation, pollination, shortening of breeding cycle for early assessment, growing of hybrid seeds and planting in the field for assessment and selection.

(i) Choice of parents

• In order to incorporate the desirable characters of one cultivar into other through hybridization, the knowledge of inheritance pattern and general and specific combining ability of the cultivars is very essential for making choice of parents in restricting the cross-combination and more seedlings population for better selection. The viability and germination ability of the hybrid seeds are also important factors in deciding the parents to be used in hybridization. It has been found that in some cultivars when used as female parents or selfed, the seed germination is poor and some time do not germinate e.g. Cordinal. If such cultivars are required in hybridization, they should be used as male parents in order to induce seedlessness in the progeny. It would be better to select a variety having high seed index as female parents. Cultivar Angoor Kalan can also be used as female parent for earliness, seedlessness and good quality, but for the same purpose cultivars Beauty Seedless, Perlette and Pusa Seedless should be used as male parents

(ii) Emasculation and pollination

• Emasculation of small flowers of grapes is a tedious job. Since the grape is self fertile emasculation is most essential for making desired crosses. Use of reflexed stamens and functionally female cultivars like Hur, Angoor Kalan, Banquiabyad, Katta, Kurgan as female parents can help in eliminating the tedious task of emasculation. Iyer and Randhawa (1966) reported that aqueous solutions of Maleic hydrazide (MH) at 400 to 750 ppm, 2,3,4 Tri iodo – benzoic acid (TIBA) at 400 to 500 ppm and 1,2 dichloro-iso-butyrate (FW-450) at 0.30% applied twice to 13 to 15 days old inflorescence induced pollen sterility. When emasculation is completed the emasculated bunches are bagged and pollinated with desired male parents very next day.

Mutation breeding

• Mutation breeding may be attempted as a complementary tool in grape breeding for one or more important characters, without altering the whole genetic setup. The important mutagens used in grape breeding are physical mutagens (χ ray and γ rays ) and chemical mutagens (Ethyl Methane Sulphonate (EMS),N-Nitroso-N-Methyl Urethane (NMUT) and N-Nitrose-N-Methyl-Urea (NMU).


• Further, induced mutations have resulted in a few improved varieties, New Perlette (Loose Perlette) with comparatively loose bunch has been evolved with χ rays (2.5 KR) treatment on Perlette Self thinning property of New Perlette is a result of meiotic irregularities caused by chromosomal translocation. Red Niagara having red fruit from Niagara and Robin Cardinal an early maturing variety from Cardinal are other important induced mutants in grapes.

Polyploidy breeding

• Polyploidy breeding has immense importance in the improvement of table grapes. The chief benefit from polyploidy is the increase in berry size. However, autotetraploids are found to be considerably sterile and are less productive than the parents. The crossing of diploid with induced tetraploids may help in evolving new triploid seedless grapes. The triploids are highly sterile. Allo tetraploids even between infertile species have been more desirable as commercial varieties. Colchicine is generally used as an aqueous solution of 0.25-5.0% with 5-10% glycerine to induce polyploidy. Marvel Seedless from Delight, Early Niable (Campbell x Niagra), Lonetto, Early Giant from Campbell, Muscat Common Hall from Muscat Alexandria, Black King from Campbell, Wallis Giant from Concord, Case from Sultana etc. are important examples of polyploidy
Biotechnological tools
Embryo rescue technique

• Seedlessness is a desirable character for table and raisin grapes. Inheritance of seedlessness is postulated to depend on two complementary recessive genes and only about 7.5% of the total progeny from crosses between Seeded x Seedless grapes produced fruits without noticeable seed traces. The embryo rescues theoretically increases the proportion of seedless progeny as it makes possible to cross two seedless varieties. Ovules are excised before abortion and are cultured on either filter paper in liquid medium or solid medium

Genetic engineering / Plant transformation

• Some encouraging preliminary results have been obtained on Agro bacterium-mediated transformation of grape vines. But the production of genetically transformed grape vines which express a marker gene is yet to be reported.

Protoplast culture

• Protoplasts are of great importance as tool for genetic amelioration and somatic hybridization. But regeneration of grape vines from protoplasts has not yet been successful.

Anther culture

• Anther culture can result into haploid grape vines which can then be developed into homozygous diploids by doubling chromosomes. These homozygous diploids will be very useful for producing F1 hybrids and for making genetic studies. But there is low success rate of regeneration of grape vines from anther and only one case of haploid has been reported in grape.