16 - Grapevine Breeding in the Southern United States
MSU Affiliation
Extension Service (MSUES); Coastal Research and Extension Center
Creation Date
2026-06-30
Abstract
Southern grapes have played an important role in the history of grapevine breeding. Bunch grape and muscadine breeders have been working in the South to develop adapted cultivars for more than a century. Most of these are muscadines, but a few bunch grapes continue to have a place. Improvement in many traits is possible for muscadines through breeding. Seedlessness plus thinner skins and more crisp textures could introduce this native fruit to a broader range of consumers beyond the Southern US. Major objectives for table grapes are resistance to fruit cracking, improved postharvest handling, improved flavors, better winter hardiness, better disease resistance, new flavor profiles, berry and cluster shapes, and skin and flesh textures. The South, perhaps more than any other region of the US, is in need of better cultivars to help expand muscadine and bunch grape production for fresh markets and wine.
Publication Date
5-1-2015
Publication Title
Grapevine Breeding Programs for the Wine Industry
Publisher
Elsevier; Woodhead Publishing
First Page
379
Last Page
410
Rights
© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Stafne, E. T., Sleezer, S. M., & Clark, J. R. (2015). 16—Grapevine breeding in the Southern United States. In A. Reynolds (Ed.), Grapevine Breeding Programs for the Wine Industry (pp. 379–410). Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-78242-075-0.00016-8
