Final SPH -JHS Coverpage 16-2 Jan 2021 single C O N T E N T S JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURAL SCIENCES Volume 16 Issue 2 June 2021 In this Issue i-ii Review Phytoremediation of indoor air pollutants: Harnessing the potential of 131-143 plants beyond aesthetics Shalini Jhanji and U.K.Dhatt Research Articles Response of fruit yield and quality to foliar application of micro-nutrients in 144-151 lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm.] cv. Assam lemon Sheikh K.H.A., Singh B., Haokip S.W., Shankar K., Debbarma R. Studies on high density planting and nutrient requirement of banana in 152-163 different states of India Debnath Sanjit Bauri F.K., Swain S., Patel A.N., Patel A.R., Shaikh N.B., Bhalerao V.P., Baruah K., Manju P.R., Suma A., Menon R., Gutam S. and P. Patil Mineral nutrient composition in leaf and root tissues of fifteen polyembryonic 164-176 mango genotypes grown under varying levels of salinity Nimbolkar P.K., Kurian R.M., Varalakshmi L.R., Upreti K.K., Laxman R.H. and D. Kalaivanan Optimization of GA3 concentration for improved bunch and berry quality in 177-184 grape cv. Crimson Seedless (Vitis vinifera L) Satisha J., Kumar Sampath P. and Upreti K.K. RGAP molecular marker for resistance against yellow mosaic disease in 185-192 ridge gourd [Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.] Kaur M., Varalakshmi B., Kumar M., Lakshmana Reddy D.C., Mahesha B. and Pitchaimuthu M. Genetic divergence study in bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L.) 193-198 Nithinkumar K.R., Kumar J.S.A., Varalakshmi B, Mushrif S.K., Ramachandra R.K. , Prashanth S.J. Combining ability studies to develop superior hybrids in bell pepper 199-205 (Capsicum annuum var. grossum L.) Varsha V., Smaranika Mishra, Lingaiah H.B., Venugopalan R., Rao K.V. Kattegoudar J. and Madhavi Reddy K. SSR marker development in Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench 206-214 using transcriptome sequencing and genetic diversity studies Gayathri M., Pitchaimuthu M. and K.V. Ravishankar Generation mean analysis of important yield traits in Bitter gourd 215-221 (Momordica charantia) Swamini Bhoi, Varalakshmi B., Rao E.S., Pitchaimuthu M. and Hima Bindu K. Influence of phenophase based irrigation and fertigation schedule on vegetative 222-233 performance of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora Tzelev.) var. Marigold Vijayakumar S., Sujatha A. Nair, Nair A.K., Laxman R.H. and Kalaivanan D. Performance evaluation of double type tuberose IIHR-4 (IC-0633777) for 234-240 flower yield, quality and biotic stress response Bharathi T.U., Meenakshi Srinivas, Umamaheswari R. and Sonavane, P. Anti-fungal activity of Trichoderma atroviride against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. 241-250 Lycopersici causing wilt disease of tomato Yogalakshmi S., Thiruvudainambi S., Kalpana K., Thamizh Vendan R. and Oviya R. Seed transmission of bean common mosaic virus-blackeye cowpea mosaic strain 251-260 (BCMV-BlCM) threaten cowpea seed health in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions of Ghana Adams F.K., Kumar P.L., Kwoseh C., Ogunsanya P., Akromah R. and Tetteh R. Effect of container size and types on the root phenotypic characters of Capsicum 261-270 Raviteja M.S.V., Laxman R.H., Rashmi K., Kannan S., Namratha M.R. and Madhavi Reddy K. Physio-morphological and mechanical properties of chillies for 271-279 mechanical harvesting Yella Swami C., Senthil Kumaran G., Naik R.K., Reddy B.S. and Rathina Kumari A.C. Assessment of soil and water quality status of rose growing areas of 280-286 Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in India Varalakshmi LR., Tejaswini P., Rajendiran S. and K.K. Upreti Qualitative and organoleptic evaluation of immature cashew kernels under storage 287-291 Sharon Jacob and Sobhana A. Physical quality of coffee bean (Coffea arabica L.) as affected by harvesting and 292-300 drying methods Chala T., Lamessa K. and Jalata Z Vegetative vigour, yield and field tolerance to leaf rust in four F1 hybrids of 301-308 coffee (Coffea arabica L.) in India Divya K. Das, Shivanna M.B. and Prakash N.S. Limonene extraction from the zest of Citrus sinensis, Citrus limon, Vitis vinifera 309-314 and evaluation of its antimicrobial activity Wani A.K., Singh R., Mir T.G. and Akhtar N. Event Report 315-318 National Horticultural Fair 2021 - A Success Story Dhananjaya M.V., Upreti K.K. and Dinesh M.R. Subject index 319-321 Author index 322-323 177 J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 This is an open access article d istributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommer cial-ShareAl ike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, d istribution, and reproduction in any med ium, provide d the original author and source are credited. Original Research Paper INTRODUCTION Grape cultivation in India is highly remunerative owing to its high foreign exchange with maximum net returns to grape growers. Thompson Seedless is the preferred variety by growers and more than 70% of the area under grape cultivation is occupied by Thompson Seedless and its clonal selections like Tas- A-Ganesh, Sonaka, Manik Chaman etc. Though Thompson Seedless is the internationally accepted table grape across the globe, in recent years many new green and colored varieties are dominating in the export market. The important varieties are Crimson Seedless, Fantasy Seedless, Red Globe, Autumn Royal etc. Due to change in the international export market scenario, the area under coloured grape varieties is steadily increasing in mild tropical climatic regions of India especially in southern India. The important cultivars grown there are Flame Seedless, Sharad Seedless (Syn: Kishmish Cheyrni) and its clonal selections, Red Globe, Crimson Seedless etc. Though most of the cultural practices are similar to that of Thompson Seedless, their response is different for growth regulator application and canopy management practices. Coloured grape variety Crimson Seedless is gaining importance in recent years due to their superior quality with respect to bunch and berry parameters and extended shelf life. Gibberellic acid (GA) is commonly used in grape cultivation to improve size of berries and length of clusters. Though grapevine cultivars shows large variation in response to applied GA, the reasons for such variations are unclear. This variation in response of different varieties to GA3 might be possible due to var iation in GA signalling components and/or availability of bioactive GA (Acheampong et al., 2017). Unlike seeded varieties of grapes, berries of the small stenospermic grape varieties like Thompson Seedless, Flame Seedless, and Crimson Seedless etc. will have lower concentration of GA as they carry Optimization of GA3 concentration for improved bunch and berry quality in grape cv. Crimson Seedless (Vitis vinifera L) Satisha J.1*, Kumar Sampath P.1 and Upreti K.K.2 1Division of Fruit Crops; 2Division of Basic Sciences ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hesaraghatta lake post, Bengaluru – 560089, Karnataka, India *Corresponding author Email: Satisha.j@icar.gov.in ABSTRACT Crimson Seedless is a coloured grape, gaining popularity in India for its attractive colour, bunch and berry quality with better shelf life. In cultivation of any seedless grape variety, application of GA3 at different stages is very much essential to produce good quality berries and bunches. However, this variety is highly sensitive to excess application which adversely affects bunch quality. Thus, there is a need to standardize mild dose of GA3 for rachis elongation which will help to reduce bunch compactness to a greater extent. Hence, an experiment was initiated to standardize concentration of GA3 for rachis elongation of Crimson Seedless grapes. Three different concentrations of GA3 (viz., 5 ppm, 7.5 ppm, and 10 ppm) were sprayed during pre bloom stage and compared with unsprayed control. Among different treatments, pre-bloom spray of GA3@5 ppm could produce less compact bunches with highest average bunch weight, berry weight, berry length and TSS. However, bunches sprayed with 7.5 ppm and 10 ppm GA3 could also produce good quality bunches, average berry weight with TSS. Because of severe coiling of rachis at 7.5 ppm and 10 ppm GA3 spraying, bunches were too straggly compared to spraying of 5 ppm GA3. The control bunches without GA3 produced very compact clusters with less average bunch weight, berry weight, berry diameter and berry length. Keywords: Crimson Seedless, cluster compactness, fruit quality, GA3, grapes and rachis elongation 178 Satisha et al J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 rudimentary seed traces due to abortion of endosperm following fertilization (Cheng et al., 2013). Hence, external application of GA3 is routinely followed to stimulate development of berries in stenospermic varieties for commercial acceptance of berry size in addition to flower thinning and rachis elongation (Wea ver, 1965; Ha r r ell a nd Willia ms, 1987). Thompson Seedless grapes require quite higher concentration of GA3 which is to be applied at different stages of cluster development to attain desirable bunch and berry qualities (Chadha and Shikhama ny, 1999). Without the knowledge on concentration of GA3 to be applied to Crimson Seedless, some of growers used similar concentrations as used for Thompson Seedless which resulted in adverse effects on bunch and berry quality parameters. However, application of higher concentration of GA3 at different stages of berry development in Crimson Seedless grapes is found to be toxic and not advisable. Higher concentration of GA3 results in excessive berry thinning (straggly clusters) and shot berry formation, as well as an unacceptable reduction in fruitfulness in the following year (Dokoozlian et al., 2000). Higher concentration of GA3 sometimes causes lignifications and contortion of the rachis (Aguero et al., 2000). Iqbal et al. (2011) suggested that GA rates @ 20 g/ ac effective for berry sizing are detrimental to the productivity and fruit quality of Crimson Seedless. Hence, there was a need to optimize the concentration of GA3to elongate rachis which can improve the overall bunch and berry quality parameters. Higher concentration of GA3 used arbitrarily was found to have adverse effect wherein it caused severe coiling of rachis. Under tropical climatic conditions of India, no information is available on concentration of GA3 to be used to improve rachis elongation in Crimson Seedless grapes. Hence, the present investigation was taken up to standardize the concentration of GA3 to be sprayed at pre-bloom stage to improve bunch and berry characters. MATERIALS AND METHODS This study was undertaken at the experimental vineyard of ICAR - Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR - IIHR) located at Hessaraghatta, Bengaluru during three consecutive years 2016-17 to 2018-19. It is situated at an elevation of 890 meters above sea level, 120 68’ North latitude and 77038’ East latitude. Four year old vines of cv. Crimson Seedless grafted on Dogridge rootstock and trained on to ‘Y’ trellis were utilized for imposition of treatments. The spacing followed was 3.3m × 2.0m. Throughout the experiment r egula r soil management and pla nt protection practices were followed in compliance with the schedule developed for successful grape cultivation in the region. Similar to the practices followed in most of the tropical grape growing countries, the vines were pruned twice in a year once after harvest of previous crop which is popularly known as foundation pruning. This pruning usually coincides with summer season and is done to encourage canes with fruitful buds. Again on these developed canes, one more pruning was done retaining 5-6 buds per cane, encouraging cluster development which is usually called as fruit pruning. Different concentrations of GA3 viz., 5 ppm (5 mg/L), 7.5 ppm (7.5 mg/L) and 10 ppm (10 mg/L) were sprayed at panicle emergence stage (23-28 days after pruning, EL stage 15) along with one treatment as control (water spray). The stock solution of GA3 was prepared just before spraying, by dissolving 1g of GA3 in 5 ml absolute alcohol and make up the volume to 1 litre using distilled water. From this stock solution desired concentrations were made with suitable dilutions. The experiment was laid out as randomized block design with 4 treatments and seven replications. Ea ch treatment consisted of six vines. In ea ch replication 20 clusters were tagged to record all the bunch a nd ber r y qua lity pa r a meter s. Ber r y physiochemical analysis was performed immediately after harvest. Average berry weight, berry diameter and berry length were measured as per the standard procedures using electronic balance and measuring scale. Cluster compactness was calculated using number of berries per bunch and total length of rachis and first five rachillae. Berry total soluble solids (TSS) was measured using temper ature compensa ted refractometer calibrated at Room Temperature of 25oC. Titratable acidity was measured using titration method where in 10 ml of grape juice was titrated against 0.1 N sodium hydroxide using phenolphthalein as indicator. Peel anthocyanin concentration was estimated as per the procedure reported by Fuleki, (1969) using spectrophotometer and quantity of anthocyanin in the sample was calculated using cyanidin hydrochloride as standard and expressed as mg/100g fresh weight. Total phenol content in grape juice was estimated by spectrophotometric method using Folin Ciocalteu Reagent (FCR) as per the method developed by Singleton and Rossi, (1965). Total sugar was estimated by the method developed by Somyogi, (1952) and expressed in g/100gFW.The 179 Optimization of GA3 concentration for improved bunch and berry quality average of three years observations were used for statistical analysis. SPSS for Windows version 9.0 and Microsoft Excel 2003 were used to carry out statistical analysis and graphical data presentation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Significant differences among the treatments were recorded for rachis length in response to different concentrations of GA3 applied. The clusters treated with GA3 @ 5 ppm recorded highest total rachis length of 124.90 cm followed by those treated with GA3 @ 7.5 ppm which recorded rachis length of 89.52cm (Table 1). The least length of the rachis (55.68cm) was recorded in untreated control. Though higher rachis length of more than 124.90 cm was recorded when GA3 was applied at 10 ppm, there was severe coiling of rachis which affected the bunch quality at later stages of berry development with respect to shape, appearance, lignified rachis etc. Statistically significant differences among the treatments were recorded for bunch compactness. GA3 at 5 ppm recorded the less bunch compactness (0.94 berries / cm of rachis length) among all the treatments resulting in development of loose cluster, while in treatment where no GA3 application was applied, it recorded maximum bunch compactness (2.59 berries/cm of ra chis length) Table 1. Influence of different concentration of GA3 on bunch characters of grape cv. Crimson Seedless (mean of three years) Treatments Total length Total number of Bunch Bunch of Rachis berries per compactness weight (cm) bunch (no. of (g) berries/cm of rachis) GA3 at 5ppm 124.90 102.40 00.94 507.42 GA3 at 7.5ppm 089.50 110.42 01.26 482.04 GA3 at 10ppm 132.90 119.11 01.11 499.55 Control 055.60 140.75 02.59 442.56 SEM ± 009.80 010.52 00.18 037.20 CD(P=0.05) 029.50 NS 00.54 NS *NS: Non Significant resulting in very tight clusters. Though GA3 @ 7.5 and 10 ppm could produce loose clusters, their bunch shape was not desirable due to coiling of rachis. Application of GA3 at different concentrations has brought significant changes in cluster morphological parameters like rachis length, length of internodes, rachis weight etc. Rachis elongation is the most essential phenomenon to produce loose grape bunches. Application of GA3 has brought significant changes in rachis length compared to control clusters and which might be due to lot of biochemical events which takes place at cellular level. There was negative correlation (-0.743) between the total rachis length and cluster compactness (Fig 1) which means, more the rachis length the number of berries per unit length is less indicating loose clusters. The bunch morphological Fig. 1. Correlation between total rachis length and cluster compactness in grape cv. Crimson Seedless **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (P<0.01) J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 180 parameters of the present experiment are in accordance with established reports on the application of GA3 for improved berry and bunch characters (Looney and Wood, 1977; Molitor et al., 2012; Weaver, 1958; Weaver, 1975). The rachis elongation is a complex process which requires enhanced carbon metabolism of sugar accumulation by phloem area expansion. The increased rachis elongation in our studies might be due to over expression of some proteins involves in these processes which belong to biological processes like generation of precursor metabolites, cellular protein metabolic process, responses to abiotic stimulus and protein processes (Ghule et al., 2019a). The process of rachis elongation in response to applied GA3 has been studied extensively at different levels viz., phenotypic, physiologica l a nd tr a nscr iptomes (Domingos et al., 2016; Upadhyay et al., 2018). Most of these studies have indicated cell wall loosening and cell enlargement as the key physiological processes which are essential for rachis elongation to make grape clusters less compact. Schopfer (2001) and Liszkay et al, (2004) in their studies reported that hydroxyl radicals generated via Fenton reaction with H2O2 as the substrate which helps in cell wall loosening and cell enlargement. Similarly some of the proteins associated with cell biogenesis like IRX15-LIKE like pr oteins which a re involved in seconda ry wa ll participate in xylan biosynthesis as they are major hemicelluloses in secondary cell walls of most of dicotyledonous plants (Brown et al., 2011). Similarly, the process of cell wall elongation and wall loosening involves significant alterations in the properties of cell wall polysaccharides. Nunan et al. (2001) predicted the activation of some of the enzymes that participate in cell wall modification. In our study also, the protein EOCPF 1 (β ga la ctosidase BG1) belonging to ca r bohydr a te, monosa ccha r ide, a nd ga la ctose metabolism might have played a key role in elongating the cell wall which usually exists with other proteins, viz. pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase. Though no difference was recorded for total bunch weight in r esponse to a pplica tion of different concentrations of GA3 which is a factor of number of berries per cluster, GA3 at 5 ppm recorded maximum bunch weight (507.48g) among the all treatments while treatment without GA3 application recorded the least bunch weight (442.54g). But, application of GA3 brought a significant difference in individual berry weight wherein GA3 @ 5 ppm registered maximum berry weight (4.93g) followed by GA3@ 7.5ppm (4.85g). The least average berry weight was recorded in untr ea ted contr ol T 4 (3. 98g). S ome of the mechanisms proposed for GA3 action are increased activity of soluble invertase (Pérez and Gómez, 2000) and subsequent change in water potential of berries and modulation of aquaporin genes by GA3 (Espinoza et al. 2009) to increase the water content of berries dur ing ber r y gr owth. Recent pr oteome a nd transcriptome-based analyses (Cheng et al.,2015; Wang et al., 2012) have also shown GA3-mediated modulation of several genes involved in cell expansion and cell wall modification which might be responsible for the increase in berry size and volume. In a study to see the effect of GA3 on berry sizing in Thompson Seedless grapes, Ghule et al, (2019 b) reported the increased size of berries in GA3 applied bunches and was attributed to increase level of peroxidase as early response a nd suppr essed level of ca ta la se a nd glutaredoxin as late response and concluded that berry enlargement might have influenced by expression of antioxidant enzymes such as catalase and peroxidise which was also suggested by Wang et al. (2017). No significant difference was recorded for berry quality parameters like berry diameter, Total soluble solids etc (Table 2). However, titratable acidity was found to be highest in control vines (0.52%) while the least acidity (0.41%) was recorded in clusters treated with 5 ppm GA3. Observations on anthocyanin concentration are presented in Table 3. Significant differences among the treatments were recorded. Among all treatments bunches treated with GA3 @ 7.5ppm (247.914mg/100g) registered maximum anthocyanin concentration (Table 3) followed by GA3@ 5ppm T 1 (177. 327 mg/100g). The least anthocyanin concentration was recorded in bunches with no GA3 application i.e., T4 (167.143 mg/100g). The highest anthocyanin concentration in treatment with 7.5 ppm GA3 might be due to its lower total sugar concentration which has exhibited negative correlation (r= -0.413, Fig 2) and vice versa in treatments with GA3 @ 5 ppm and 10 ppm. The sugar conversion into anthocyanin biosynthesis is reported by few workers in different flowers and fruit crops as reported by Ozer et al. (2012). Our findings are in accordance with that of Peppi et al. (2006), where the application of gibberellic acid (GA 3) was effective at increasing the Satisha et al J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 181 Table 2. Influence of different concentration of GA3 on berry quality parameters of grape cv. Crimson Seedless (mean of three years) Treatments 50 berry Average Berry Berry TSS Acidity weight (g) berry diameter length (0B) (%) weight (g) (mm) (mm) GA3at 5 ppm 246.41 4.92 17.31 25.82 18.52 0.24 GA3at 7.5 ppm 242.51 4.81 17.30 25.43 17.57 0.32 GA3at 10 ppm 233.44 4.63 17.43 24.64 17.66 0.41 Control 199.35 3.92 16.82 22.77 18.21 0.51 SEM ± 8.843 0.17 0.27 0.47 0.40 0.054 CD (P = 0.05) 26.27 0.53 NS 1.40 NS 0.16 *NS: Non Significant Table 3. Influence of different concentration of GA3 on berry quality parameters of grape cv. Crimson Seedless (mean of three years) Treatments Anthocyanin Total phenols Total sugars concentration (mg/100g) (g/100g) (mg/100g) GA3 at 5ppm 177.30 112.70 18.20 GA3 at 7.5ppm 247.90 172.60 15.90 GA3 at 10ppm 173.70 217.60 16.00 Control 167.10 155.10 17.40 SEM ± 016.50 023.73 00.38 CD(P=0.05) 049.40 071.06 01.13 Fig. 2. Correlation between anthocyanins and total sugars in grape cv. Crimson Seedless **Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (P<0.01) anthocyanins content of grape variety Flame Seedless. The use of higher concentrations of GA3 (over 50 ppm) lea ds to a r eduction in the content of anthocyanins in berries (Rusjan, 2010) and this in turn has an adverse effect on the organoleptic properties of varieties with red and blue color of the skin intended for consumption in fresh condition. Significant differences among the treatments were recorded with respect to total phenol content wherein, bunches treated with GA3 @ 10ppm (217.605 mg/ 100g) registered maximum total phenols followed by GA3 @ 7.5ppm T2 (172.664mg/100g). The least total phenol was recorded in clusters treated with GA3 @ 5ppm T 1 (112. 752mg/100g). GA3 (highest 3 concentrations) and CPPU treatments (highest 2 concentrations) significantly increased the total phenol content of the grapes after cold storage Avenant et al (2017). Increased phenol content of ‘Regal Seedless’ was correlated with an increased astringent taste (Fraser, 2007), with serious negative implications regarding consumer preferences and market access. Application of higher concentration of GA3 might not only reduce the physical appearance of cluster with respect to lignifications of rachis but also reduce the chemical properties with respect to reduced sugar Optimization of GA3 concentration for improved bunch and berry quality J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 182 content and more phenolic compounds as evidenced in present study which is in accordance with the findings of Avenant et al. (2017). Significant differences among the treatments were recorded for total sugars. Among all treatments bunches treated with GA3 at 5 ppm (18.211g/100g) registered maximum total sugars followed by bunches without GA3 application (17.444g/100g). The least total sugars was recorded in bunches treated with GA3 at 7.5 ppm (15.914g/100g). The increase in reducing, non-reducing and total sugars might be ascribed to the conversion of starch and acids into sugars in addition to continuous mobilization of sugars from leaves to berries (Singh et al., 1993). Singh and Khanduja, (1977) further reported that the application of GA3 in Pusa Seedless showed increased sugars and decreased a cidity content. Applica tion of GA3 a t r a chis elongation stage might have stimulated internal synthesis of GA3 in young berries which might have increased the sink drawing ability leading to more accumulation of sugars in treated berries than in control. The phloem loading capacity is increased or stimulated by application of GA3 in many crops which helps in better translocation of photosynthates synthesized in leaves to young berries via phloem vessels. Application of GA3 modifies phloem loading, phloem area and increased expression of sugar transporters to enhance carbon metabolism (Murcia et al., 2016). A ten-fold increase in some of the genes involved in sugar transport and metabolism was observed in Malbec grapes compared to control. A positive cor r ela tion wa s obser ved between photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in GA3 treated vines (Murcia et al., 2016). Berry growth is stimulated due to increase in rate of cell division as well as cell elongation (Dokoozlian and Peacock, 2001). Plant hormones have strong effects on berry growth and development (Guerios et al., 2016) among them, GAs take part in a critical function in berry sizing and enlargement (Weaver and McCune, 1960). In the last few years, the effect of exogenous GA3 application on grape berry growth and cell enlargement has been studied by several researchers; however, the basic mode of action of GA3 to produce maximum berry size is not very clear. GA3 applications may also have negative effects on grapevine, including excessive reduction of the number of berries per cluster, the production of grassy or herbaceous flavors in the fruit, a reduction in tissue winter hardiness and a reduction in node fruitfulness. These phytotoxic effects of GA tend to become more pronounced in the seeded varieties. Considering the above findings from the present study and other supported results from different workers, it might be summarized that GA3 at 5 ppm might be optimum for bringing about desirable changes in bunch morphology in Crimson Seedless. Super or suboptimal level of GA3might result in adverse effect on bunch characters. REFERENCES Acheampong, A.K., Hu, J., Rotman, A., Zheng, C., Halaly, T. AndTakebayashi, Y. 2015. Functional characterization and developmental expression profiling of gibberellin signalling components in Vitis vinifera. J. Expt. Bot., 66: 1463–1476. Aguero, C.,Vigliocco, A., Abdala, G. and Tizio, R. 2000. Effect of gibberellic acid and uniconazol on embryo abortion in the stenospermocarpic grape cultivars Emperatriz and Perlon. Plant Growth Regulation, 30:9–16. Avenant, J. H., 2017. Effect of Gibberellic acid (GA3) and N (2-Chloro-4 pyridyl), - N-phenylurea (CPPU) treatments to reduce or eliminate browning of white table grape cultivars. Acta Horticulture, 4: 189-193. Brown, D., Wrightman, R., Zhang, Z., Gomez, L.D., Atanassov, I., Bukowski, J.P., Tryfona, T., McQueen-Mason, S.J., Dupree, P. and Turner, S. 2011. Arabidopsis genes IRREGULAR XYLEM (IRX15) a nd IRX15L encode DUF579-containing proteins that are essential for normal xylan deposition in the secondary cell wall. Plant Journal, 3: 401-413. Chadha, K.L. and Shikhamany, S. D.1999. The Grape-Impr ovement, Production and Post Harvest Management (ISBN: 81-85048-40- 1), Malhotra Publishing House, New Delhi. Pp: 689 Cheng, C., Jiao, C., Singer, S.D., Gao, M., Xu, X., Zhi, Y.Z., Fei, Z., Wang, Y. andWang, X. 2015.Gibber ellin-induced cha nges in the transcriptome of grapevine (Vitis labrusca × V. v i n i f e r a ) c v. K yoho f lower s . B M C Genomics, 16: 128. Satisha et al J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 183 Cheng, C., Xu,X,, Singer, S.D., Li,J., Zhang, H. and Gao, M.2013. Effect of GA3 treatment on seed development and seed-related gene expression in grape. PLoS ONE, 8:e80044. D okooz lia n, N. K . a nd Pea c ock, W. L . 2 00 1 . Gibberellic acid applied at bloom reduces fr uit set a nd impr oves size of ‘Cr imson Seedless’ table grapes. Hort Sci. 36: 706- 709. Domingos, S.,Fino, J., Cardoso, V., Sanchez, C., Rama lho, J. C., La r cher, R. , Paulo, O. S. , Oliveira C.M. and Goulao, L.F. 2016. Shared and divergent pathways for flower abscission are triggered by gibberellic acid and carbon starvation in seedless Vitis vinifera L. BMC Plant Biol.16: 38. https ://doi.org/10.1186/ s1287 0-016-0722-7 Espinoza, C., Medina, C., Somerville. S. and Arce- Johnson. P. 2007 . Senes cence-a ssocia ted genes indu ced du r ing c omp a t ib le vir a l interactions with grapevine and Arabidopsis. J. Expt.Bot. 58:3197–3212. Fraser, W.J. 2007. Manipulation of the taste of Rega l Seedless (Vitis Vinifera L. ) ta ble grapes. Master of Agriculture (Viticulture and Oenology) thesis, submitted to University of Stellenbosch. Pp: 173. Fuleki, T. 1969. The anthocyanins of strawberry, rhubarb, radish and onion. Food Sci. 34: 365-369. Ghule, S. M. , Upa dhya y, A. Joga ia h, S. 2019. Proteomic ana lysis of GA3 induced berry elonga tion in gr ape (Vitis vinifera L) cv. Thompson Seedless. Biosci. Biotech. Res. Asia. 16: 85-92. Ghule, S.M., Upadhyay, A., Jogaiah, S., Patil,S.S., Kadoo, N.Y. and Gupta, V.S. 2019.Whole proteome analysis of GA3 response at panicle s t a ge in gr a p e ( Vi t i s v i n i f e r a L ) c v. T homp s on S eedles s . J . Pl a n t G ro wt h Regulation.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344- 019-10041-y Guerios, I.T., Chiarotti, F., Cuquel, F.L. and Biasi, L.A. 2016. Growth regulator improves bunch and berry character in ‘Niagara Rosada’ grape. Acta Hort., The Hauge, 1115: 243-248. Harrell,D.C. and Williams, L.E. 1987. Influence of girdling and gibberellic acid application at fruit set on Ruby Seedless and Thompson Seedless grapes. Am. J. Enol.Vitic. 38: 83-88. Iqbal, N., Nazar, R., Iqbal, M., Khan, R., Masood, A. and Khan, A.N. 2011. Role of gibberellins in regulation of source–sink relations under optimal and limiting environmental conditions. Current Sci. 100: 998-1007. Liszkay, A., van der Zalm, E. and Schopfer, P. 2004. Production of reactive oxygen intermediates (O2, H2O2, and OH) by maize roots and their role in wall loosening and elongation growth. Plant Physiol. 136: 3114-3123. Looney, N.E. and Wood, D.F. 1977. Some cluster thinning and gibberellic effect on fruit set, berry size, vine growth and yield of De Chaunac grapes. Canadian J. Plant Sci. 57: 653-659. Molitor,D., Behr M.,Hoffmann,L. And Evers, D. 2012.Impact of grape cluster division on cluster morphology and bunch rot epidemic. Am. J. Enol.Vitic. 63: 508-514. Murcia, G., Pontin, M., Reinoso, H., Baraldi, R., Bertazza, G., Gomez- Talquenca, S., Bottini, R. and Piccoli, P.N. 2016. ABA and GA3 Increase carbon allocation in different organs of grapevine plants by inducing accumulation of non-structural car bohydrates in leaves enhancement of phloem area and expression of s u ga r t r a ns p or t er s . Ph y s i o l o g i a Plantarum,156: 323–337. https ://doi.org/ 10.1111/ppl.12390 Nunan, K.J., Davies, C., Robinson, S.P. and Fincher, G.B. 2001. Expression patterns of cell wall- modifying enzymes dur ing gr a pe ber r y development. Planta, 214: 257–264. https :// doi.org/10.1007/s0042 50100609 Ozer, C., Yasasin, A.S., Ergonul, O. and Aydin, S. 2012. The effects of berr y thinning a nd gibberellin on ‘RecelUzumu’ table grapes. Pakistan J. Agri. Sci. 49: 105-112. Peppi, M.C., Fidelibus, M.W. and Dokoozlian, N. 2006. Abscisic acid application timing and concentration affect firmness, pigmentation and colour of ‘Flame Seedless’ grapes. Hort Sci.41: 1440–1445. Optimization of GA3 concentration for improved bunch and berry quality J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 184 Pérez, F.J. and Gómez, M. 2000. Possible role of soluble invertase in the gibberellic acid berry- sizing effect in Sultana grape. Plant Growth Reg. 30:111–116. Rusjan, D.2010. Impact of gibberellin (GA3) on sensorial quality and storability of table grape (Vitis vinifera L) Acta Agricultura Slovenica, 95:163-173. Schopfer,P. 2001. Hydroxyl radical-induced cell-wall loosening in vitro and in vivo: implications for the control of elongation growth. Plant J.28: 679–688. https ://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365- 313x.2001.01187.x Singh, N.S. and Khanduja, S.D. 1977. Physical and biochemical changes during maturation of grapes (Vitis vinifera), Indian J. Hort. 34: 354 Singh, S., Singh, I.S. and Singh, D.N. 1993.Physico- chemica l changes during development of seedless grapes (Vitis vinifera L) Orissa J. Hort. 21: 43-46 Singleton, V.L. and Rossi, J.A. 1965. A colorimetry method of tota l phenolics with phosphomolybdic- phosphotungstanic acid reagents. Am. J. Enol.Vitic.16: 144-158. Somyog, M. 1952. Notes on sugar determination. J. Biol. Chem. 195: 19. Upadhyay, A., Maske S., Jogaiah, S., Kadoo, N.Y. and Gupta, V.S. 2018. GA3 application in grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) modulates different sets of genes at cluster emergence, full bloom, and berry stage as revealed by RNA sequence-based transcriptome analysis. Func. Int. Genomics. 18: 439-455. Wang, X., Zhao, M., Wu,W., Korir., N.K., Qian,Y. a nd Wa ng , Z . 2 0 1 7 . C omp a r a t ive transcriptome analysis of berry-sizing effects of gib b er ellin ( GA3 ) on s eedles s Vi t i s vinifera L. Genes & Genomics, 39: 493-507. Wang, Z., Zhao, F., Zhao, X., Ge, H., Chai, L., C hen, S . , P er l, A. a nd M a , H . 2 0 1 2 . Proteomic analysis of berry sizing effect of GA3 on seedless Vitis vinifera L. Proteomics, 12: 86-94. Weaver, R.J. 1975. Effect of time of application of potassium gibberlate on cluster development of Zinfandel grapes. Vitis, 14: 97-102. Weaver, R.J.1958. Effect of gibberellic acid on fruit set and berry enlargement in seedless grapes of Vitis vinifera. Nature, 181:851-852. Weaver, R.J. and McCune, S.B. 1960. Fur ther studies with gibberellin on Vitis vinifera grapes. Bot. Gazette, 121: 155-162. Weaver, R.J. and Pool, R.M.1965. Bloom spraying wit h gib b er ellin loos ens c l u s t er s of Thompson Seedless grapes. California Agri. 19: 14-15. (Received on 21.08.2021, Revised on 11.10.2021 and Accepted on 17.11.2021) Satisha et al J. Hortl. Sci. Vol. 16(2) : 177-184, 2021 00 Contents.pdf 05 Satisha.pdf 19 Lamesssa.pdf 20 Divya.pdf 21 Wani.pdf 23 Index and Last Pages.pdf