Berry cracking; its causes and remedies in grapes - A Review.

Abstract

Berry cracking is one of the most serious problems in grapes. Berry cracking, a physiological disorder where fruit surface crack leads to major commercial losses in the table and wine grape production by reducing both yield and quality. Cracking generally occurs due to the physical failure of cuticle or skin; results from stresses acting on skin and also due to heavy rainfall. The environmental and physiological causes of cracking or splitting of grape berry are not well understood. It probably involves interactions between environmental condition and the extensibility or integrity of the berry cell wall. This was reviewed to point out various factors contributing to cracking in grapes and to provide suggestion for prevention of cracking and to draw the directions for future research. Factors responsible for fruit cracking includes water on fruit stalk and surface, berry temperature, relative humidity, disease induced cracking, berry ripeness, berry cultivar and mechanical property of grape. Several strategies were described for the prevention of this disorder includes careful water management, monitoring soil moisture, spraying of growth hormones and the role of micronutrient.