Evaluation of Grapevine Genotypes of Iran in Main and Backup Collection

Grape industry (as one of the most important horticultural crops in Iran and the World) needs to organize future research on the identification, evaluation and improvement of grape cultivars. Of course, access to a rich germplasm plays an important role in this direction. The present research was conducted to collection and evaluation of grapevines, with the aim to preserve genetic resources, prevent their destruction, knowing all the properties of cultivars (ID provided), achieve superior varieties and separate the Homonymies and Synonymous cultivars. Thus, cultivars were collected from areas: Fars, Khorasan, Qazvin, Tehran (Varamin and College of Agriculture), Western Azerbaijan (Uremia), East Azerbaijan (the Khalatposhan station of Tabriz), Ardebil (Meshkin Shahr), Dezful and other cities and some foreign countries including America, Turkmenistan and Russia, in the years 2006 till 2013. Grape varieties were cultivated in The National Grape Collection, located in the grape prime research station of Takestan in Qazvin province, in augment statistical design with 6 plants per experimental unit, each block including 32 cultivar (five control: Sefide Bidaneh (with three replicates), Yaghoti and Shahroodi). The plants were trained to Bilateral Double Cordon System with 3 x 2 meters spacing between plants. Quantity, quality, vegetative and reproductive traits in the developmental stages were recorded and evaluated using UPOV guidelines, over the years. Extreme cold and prolonged winter of 2007 entered a very different impact on the cultivars. This required information were recorded and analyzed. 20 cuttings of some collected cultivars were transferred to Uremia, in order to provide a backup, in 2009. Raisin was prepared from 200 varieties and their traits were measured in 2011. Chilling and heat units requirement of some cultivars were determined in the autumn and winter 2012. Degree days to flowering and fruit ripening were reviewed in spring 2013. Some researchers of workgroup grapes were organizing collected varieties (Separation of similar cultivars, cultivars with false names,) in summer 2013. Eventually, more than 1,000 local varieties (native genotypes) and foreign grapes were collected and identified. Very large favorable variation was observed in quantitative and qualitative traits of plants, especially, anthocyanin coloration of young shoot, number of consecutive tendrils, length of tendril , density of erect hairs on main veins on lower side of blade, density of prostrate hairs between main veins on lower side of blade, color of upper side of blade, shape of blade, profile in cross section of leaf, number of lobe, petiole length, main veins length, shape, width and length of teeth, arrangement of lobes of upper lateral sinuse, arrangement of lobes of petiole sinuse, petiole sinus limited by vein, depth of upper lateral sinuses, blistering of upper side of blade, density of erect hairs on main veins on lower side of blade , density of prostrate hairs between main veins on lower side of blade, shape, size, volume, weigh, t length and width of berry juiciness of flesh, pH of fruit juice, TSS, particular flavor, color of berry skin (without bloom, thickness of berry skin, anthocyanin coloration of flesh, firmness of flesh, ease of detachment from pedicel, total weight, size-peduncle excluded, length of peduncle, cluster densit, cluster width, formation of seed, seed number, seed weight, sexual organ, fully developed stamens and fully developed gynoecium and time of appearing cluster. This genetic diversity, provide valuable support for production and breeding research programs.