Muscadine grape plant named ‘Floriana’

Abstract

A new and distinct cultivar of the muscadine grape plant, Vitis rotundifolia Michx., which is self-fertile wine grape vine that is highly productive, resistant to Pierce's disease and low fruit ripening rot (ripe rot, and bitter rot), and able to produce fine red wines. The new and distinct cultivar produces a high-quality wine with rich stable red color and consistent yield. The cultivar has moderate-vigorous vine growth with high fruit yield. The cultivar produces wines with deep red color, smooth mouthfeel, excellent stability, and good longevity. The cultivar has hermaphroditic self-fertile flowers.

Claims

1. A new and distinct variety of muscadine grape plant named Floriana, substantially as herein described and illustrated.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The accompanying color photographs show a representative section of a typical specimen of the new cultivar.

(2) FIG. 1 is a detailed view of several clusters of ripe berries, shoot tips, and leaves of a 12-year-old plant.

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of several clusters of ripe berries on the vine in fruit maturity of a 12-year-old plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

(4) In the following description, color references are made as per The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.), The Royal Horticultural Society, London, 2015 (sixth edition) except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

(5) Origin of the Cultivar

(6) Floriana was developed under the grape breeding program and asexually reproduced from cuttings taken from the original seedling at the Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research, Florida A&M University (FAMU), 6361 Mahan Drive, Tallahassee, Fla. 32308. Floriana originated from a seedling population crossed between Vitis rolundifolia Michx. cultivars Supreme (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,267) and Pineapple (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,266) in 1999. The seedling was selected from a progeny of 243, and testing of the agronomic characteristics began in 2006 in Tallahassee, Fla. The new cultivar has been tested under the experimental designation O28-22-5 or C16-6. The unique features of the new cultivar have been retained.

(7) The first wine was made with 23.6 kg fruits from the single original hybrid vine in 2006. The propagated vines were planted 12 feet between the rows and 20 feet within the rows and trained to single-wire two-arm cordons. A 4-5 bud spur pruning system was applied in winter pruning with minimal green canopy management. The vineyard was maintained according to the standard vineyard management system for muscadine grapes having adequate irrigation, fertilization, and minimal chemical protection. Wines were made regarding established protocols by the Center's vinification research and evaluated utilizing taste panels during the annual meetings of the Florida Wine Grape Growers Association (FWGGA) according to the American Wine Society (AWS) evaluation standards utilizing a total 20-point scoring system based on appearance (03), aroma/bouquet (06), taste/texture (06), after taste (03) and overall impression (02).

(8) Color stability was monitored with aging wines at 1st and 5th years after vinification, their absorbance at 420 nm and 520 nm were recorded with Genesys 10 uv spectrophotometer; samples were diluted 10 times with ddH2O, and 10 mm crystal curettes were used.

(9) Methods of Asexual Reproduction

(10) Floriana was asexually reproduced in research vineyards, utilizing standard mist propagation techniques. Soft wood cuttings from the original Floriana vine was taken from June through August, the basses of the two-node softwood cuttings were first dip-touched briefly with Hormodin-3 root inducing substance (OHP, Inc., PO Box 230, Mainland, Pa.), placed in a 50% sand and 50% peat moss medium, and kept in mist screen house. They were misted for 30 seconds in 10-minute intervals for a period of about 10 hours during the day. After rooting in five or more weeks, the cuttings were transferred into 0.5-gallon pots with potting soil and moved out of the mist bed to a shaded nursery for further developing. Another method of asexual reproduction is layering during later summer through mid-fall, wherein the current season's growth is placed into a trench 20 cm deep at the base of the mother plant, still attached to the mother vine, and covered with soil. Rooting cuttings from the material in the trench can then be separated from the mother plant during the following dormant season, laying may be 100% rooting proof.

(11) Floriana originated from a seedling population crossed between the female parent Vitis rolundifolia Michx. cultivars Supreme (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,267) and the male parent Pineapple (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,266) in 1999. The seedling was selected from a progeny of 243, and testing of the agronomic characteristics began in 2006 in Tallahassee, Fla. The new cultivar was asexually reproduced from cuttings taken from the original seedling and the new cultivar has been tested under the experimental designation O28-22-5 or C16-6. The unique features of the new cultivar have been retained.

(12) Plant Characteristics

(13) The following plant characteristics are relevant for plants that are five years old. Muscadine vines grown from seed will normally take three years to bloom and set fruits. The vine reaches peak production in four to five years. Commercially grown vines are produced by asexual clonal propagation, from rooted cuttings of the annual growing soft shoots. They can bloom and set fruits in the second year after planting and will reach full fruit production in three to four years.

(14) Vine

(15) The vines of Floriana grow moderately, i.e., the growth of lateral canes on mature vines is about 1.2 to 2.4 m per growing season, weak-moderate vigor could be noticed with the over cropped vines. The vines typically fill a 3.6 m single-wire trellis in the second growing season in Florida. The pruning weight of mature Floriana is about of Carlos and of Noble (standard muscadine grape wine cultivars). Typical five-year-old vine of Floriana cultivar has a smooth and compact texture, with non-shedding bark with browning gray color (RHS N200C) and trunk caliper measurement at 30 cm above the soil line averages 3.1 cm.

(16) Shoots

(17) The young Floriana shoots are deep greenish-yellow (RHS 153A), and mature shoots are greyish reddish orange (RHS 177C) with average 3.9 cm internodes and 5.1 mm in diameter. Shoots grow horizontally to semi-droopingly and generally grow 1.2 to 2.0 m or more in a growing season in North Florida. New shoots from dormant buds typically produce inflorescences at the 3rd and 4th nodes. Inflorescences are compound panicles composed of 10 to 20 flower clusters, each containing 5 to 15 individual female flowers. Tendrils are unbranched, averaged 15 cm in length and 1.8 mm in diameter, and the pith discontinuous along the nodes.

(18) Buds

(19) The development of shoots in the spring results from the emergence of compound buds on the canes. Each bud arises as an axillary bud meristem in each leaf axil of the shoot in the previous growing season. Potential fruiting clusters, also called inflorescences, are initiated within developing axillary buds the season prior to bloom. The inflorescences may be up to 10 cm long at bloom. The inflorescence is a panicle consisting of flowers arranged within variously branched dichasia. Thus, the main axis is terminated by a flower, as are each of the lateral branches. The flowers start to bloom in late mid-May and are at full bloom in late May to early June.

(20) Foliage

(21) Floriana has 8 cm mid-sized, round, unlobed leaves with 20-30 dentate margins and an acuminate point. Leaves average 7.7 cm in length and 7.8 cm in width. The leaves are nearly circular with broadly toothed margins and glabrous on both upper and lower surfaces. The venation pattern is netted or reticular having a vein color of moderate olive brown (RHS 199A) Mature upper leaf surface is moderate olive green (RHS 137A) and somewhat shiny, while the lower leaf surfaces are moderate yellow green (RHS 137C) and are not as dark and less bright compared to the upper surface. The leaves become subglabrous at maturity and are deciduous. Petiole length equals or slightly short the blade midrib length and the petiole sinus is half opened. The average petiole is about 5.1 cm long and 2 mm in diameter (FIGS. 1 and 2) with a petiole color of moderate olive brown (RHS 199A).

(22) Flowers

(23) Floriana bears hermaphroditic flowers, or it is self-fertile, which do not require pollinators to set fruits. Flower are small with unopened flowers at blooming being 2.5 mm in diameter and 2 mm in ovary diameters in open flowers. The flowers are indiscrete, and moderate yellow green (RHS 138C), borne in racemose panicles opposite leaves at the base of current season's growth.

(24) The anthers are light yellow green (RHS 2D), and supported on erect filaments at the base of the ovary. The flowers are short-lived, lasting approximately 3 to 5 days. Floriana typically blooms from later May to early June at Tallahassee, Fla. There are 5 each of sepals, petals, and stamens in brilliant yellow green (RHS 150C). Ovaries are superior and contain 2 locules each with 2 ovules. Each cluster has about 10-30 flowers. The calyptera, or cap is the corolla, in which the petals are fused at the apex; it abscises at the base of the flower and pops off at anthesis. No capping symptoms has been observed yet.

(25) Floriana is self-fertile and no pollinator is needed.

(26) Fruits

(27) The vines produce small-medium sized dark-red fruits, which ripen evenly in early to mid-September in Tallahassee, Fla. At maturity, the berries weigh average 5.3 g and 15.8% soluble solids (SSC). The berries have typical muscadine aromatic flavor and relative thick skins, but no-colored flesh. The berries are round to slightly elongated with a length or height (L) of 1.96 cm and diameter (D) of 1.92 cm providing a 1.02 length to diameter (L/D) ratio. Each of the berries contains 3.6 seeds on average. The fruit is borne in dense clusters of 8-36 grapes (average 15.1 berries per cluster). The berries have inconspicuous lenticels giving them a relatively smooth dark red appearance. The berries separate from the pedicel with a relatively low wet scar, i.e., more than 80% of the berries are torn at the point of detachment from the pedicel. The black red color of the Floriana fruit falls into the dark grayish purple group (RHS N92A). This fruit color is distinct from the bronze fruit of Carlos and the black to deep red color of Noble. A comparison of the Floriana horticultural characteristics (size, soluble solids, berry, yield, etc.) and overall wine profiles are presented in Table 1 and Table 2, these observations have been made annually over a three year period, and the traits have been retained.

(28) Disease/Pest Resistance or Susceptibility

(29) Like most of the muscadine grapes, Floriana exhibit greater disease tolerance than other American native and European origin grapes. It is highly disease tolerant and practically immune to phylloxera, nematodes, and Pierce's disease with very low fruit rot and relatively low wet scar. No severe fungal diseases have been observed except slight leaf spot late in the season.

(30) Ripening rot which including but not limited to Bitter Rot (pathogen Greeneria uvicola), Ripe Rot (pathogen Colletotrichum sp.), and Macrophoma Rot (pathogen Botryosphaeria dothidea), is 3.6% on average, similar to that of Noble, while much lower than that of Carlos (Table 1).

(31) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Horticultural characteristics of Floriana and leading wine muscadine cultivars in Tallahassee, FL node node leaf size pruning flower length circle (L W) weight type vigor (cm) (cm) (cm) (kg) Carlos perfect v. vigor 4.4 2.0 9.0 8.4 10.0 Noble perfect vigor 4.4 2.0 8.9 8.9 5.9 Floriana perfect m. 3.7 1.5 8.5 8.6 2.7 vigor yield dry harvest PD cluster/ cluster/ fruit/ (kg/ scar fruit rot (0-5) spur shoot cluster vine) (%) (%) Carlos 1 4.2 2.1 14.4 29.1 13.7 1 Noble 0 2.7 1.3 15.8 25.6 3.5 0 Floriana 0 2.6 1.4 15.1 26.7 3.6 0

(32) TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Fruit and wine characteristics of Floriana and premium wine muscadine cultivars in Tallahassee, FL Size SSC TA Wine Score Color (g) (%) (%) pH (0-20) Carlos Bronze 5.7 15.2 0.411 3.13 13.9 Nobel black red 3.2 16.3 0.441 3.49 12.7 Floriana black red 5.3 15.8 0.416 3.36 13.2 Wine color development 520 nm Hue absorbance (420/520 nm) 1 year 5 year 1 year 5 year Carlos Nobel 0.159 0.105 0.795 1.637 Floriana 0.191 0.158 0.807 1.129