Effect of Berry Thinning on Quality and Storage of Grapes CV. Perlette

These studies pertain to the effect of different levels of berry thinning (BT) on fruit quality and storage life of ‘Perlette’ grapes. The BT was adjusted to six levels, i.e. 20, 40, 60, 70, 80 and 90% Berry weight manifested a direct relationship with intensity of thinning, while it were the reverse in case of bunch weight and shot-berries. A significant fall in T.S.S. and rise in acidity was observed when berry removal was reduced from 90 to 20%. The physiological loss in weight (PLW) and berry shatter were lowest with the higher BT (90%) during cold storage. Almost negligible berry rotting was observed under 70 to 90% BT during the storage. But, the percentage of PLW, berry shatter and berry rot increased considerably with the enhancement of storage days from 15 to 30. The fruit quality in terms of T.S.S. improved with storage time.