CALIFORNIA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION SCARLET A New Grape Variety for Fresh Juice and Jellies H. P. OLMO MAY, 1948 THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • BERKELEY and abundance of fruitful buds indicate that it will be more fruitful. Scarlet was selected from a population of sixty plants, and, as a seedling vine, it was the most productive of all. It averaged 11.5 pounds to the vine during the period 1940 to 1942 in plantings placed 2 feet apart in the row, when the vines were pruned to only three spurs of two buds each. In 1945 the original vine was stubbed back to the main trunk, and all the canes were re- moved. Even with such severe pruning, over 10 pounds of fruit were har- vested. Many of the dormant buds proved fruitful. Tests indicate the juice can be canned or frozen Because the berry is small, the variety cannot be used as a table grape. Scarlet is introduced to serve both the market and the home grower for a specific prod- uct; namely, a fresh or processed pure juice that can be produced in abundance with a minimum of effort. The high sugar and acidity make a well-balanced juice. For example: Balling Acidity August 19, 1940 20.0 1.00 August 31, 1941 20.8 1.30 October 4, 1942 28.2 0.80 Semicommercial tests indicate the juice can be canned or frozen. It might also be used in the preparation of pure, spar- kling, soda water beverages. Certain wine producers have shown interest in the va- riety for use in blending, because of its high color, flavor, and acidity. Scarlet sweetens rapidly and needs some care in harvesting Scarlet is very productive when spur pruned in contrast to Concord, but it can also be cane pruned and then will carry much greater crops to maturity. The op- timum stage of maturity at Davis is from 22 to 23 Balling for making the most pal- atable fresh juice. The fruit on the vine sweetens rapidly, which necessitates some care in harvesting at the proper period. The acidity can be increased by including the small clusterlets (second crop) , which ripen later and have high acid content. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my colleagues in the Division of Viticulture for their helpful observations and comments on this new variety. Many grape growers, processors, and vintners have also generously coop- erated in testing it. Dr. George L. Marsh, of the Division of Food Technology at Berkeley, was instrumental in process- ing and analyzing the juices of 46 selected seedlings during the 1941 season, a group from which Scarlet was finally selected. Juice samples of Scarlet were processed in 1947 by Messrs. S. F. and F. Triplett. Pacific Grape Products Company in Mo- desto. Turn to back of bulletin for a detailed description of Scarlet [5] Jr 5? /' Scarlet is well adapted to the production of fresh juice and jellies • The grape-breeding program of the University of California was begun in 1929 by the Division of Viticulture. Originating new varieties better adapted to California conditions is one of the main activities of this program. During the ten-year period 1931-1940. a total of 23.658 seedling vines of controlled parentage were planted in the vineyard for fruiting. From these, promising vines are being selected for further tests in trial plots widely scattered throughout California. In some instances, semicomtnercial trials of the first selections have already been completed. SCARLET is one of these. •Cuttings of this variety are not offered for sale or distribution by the University of California, but may be purchased from nursery- men. If you want to know where they may be obtained, write to the Division of Viticulture, California Agricultural Experiment Station. Davis, California. SCARLET A New Grape Variety for Fresh Juice and Jellies H. P. OLMO Fresh grape ji u i for beverage use in the home is becoming more and more popular in California. It is used hoih b\ itself and in fruit punche-. Alii ail i\ e red juices are preferred in making jellies and confections, and they are often added to other preserved fond products to make them more appealing. Recent studies of llie natural planl pigments and llieii plar ■ in nutrition suggest that the red coloring matter of the grape (anthocyanins) ma) also have important food values. In addition, ihe \ine should be well adapted for home gardens. This means that it should be \ igorous enough to grow on fence, trellis, or arbor. It should fruit regularb and well without great attention lo detailed pruning method* and -Imidd. if possible, be somewhat resistant to pow- der\ mildew. The fruit should hang a long time on the vine without spoilage. Of many new seedlings tested. Scarlet best meets these requirements. Scarlet is a hybrid of Colden Muscat x Teinturier, station seedling 294E7. from a cross made in 1935. The seed was planted in the fall of 1935. and the vine first fruited in 1939. The Golden Muscat in the fresh juice industry. Like main parent was introduced by the New York other American-type hybrids it doe. not State Agricultural Experiraenl Station in grow and fruit satisfactory in the inte- 1927 and is a hybrid of Muscat Hamburg rior valleys of California, where high and Diamond. The Teinturier is ihe well- summer temperatures and low humidih known variety of the south of Franee. first often cause the foliage to sunburn. The used in 1829 by Louis and Henry Bou- mature fruil i- of \n\ poor quality, ripen- schet in the production of hybrid types ing unevenly. Poor in flavor, the juice is with colored juice ( teinturicrs) . The best ofh'i] desrrihed a- "flat." The acidity is known of this class is the Alicante Bou- too low. The pigment becomes brownish schet. on processing, and the product is not par- lii ularly atti a«li\ •-. Trial plantings have Scarlet should prove to be more fruitful than Concord arc abandoned. The name "Scarlet" was chosen because The problem. I here fore, ua- to produce of the bright red of the extracted juice a grape variet) for juice with a Concord- and the earlj fall coloring of the leaves, type fla\nr thai could be widel) adapted characteristics by which the variety may to climatic conditions of California. Its be readilj identified. color should be bright, --table, and attrac- Thi tered trial plantings of Scarlet tive. Its chemical composition -hoiild be have been too small to furnish reliable -o balanced dial the pure juice could he data on yield in comparison with such used without correction. varieties as Concord or Delaware. How- ever, the re vigorous growth of the vine hYcri\ril (u|- [Ml III li ,11 inn J;1IIIC)1\ J_\ I'UK. DESCRIPTION OF SCARLET Vine: Vigorous, trunk slender, bark shed- ding early as long, wide bands; bud- ding out early. Many basal and dor- mant buds fruitful, insuring a good yield even if the early spring growth is killed by frost. Canes: Very long, numerous, slender, wil- lowy, long internodes; maroon, with few but very prominent darker stria- tions, procumbent habit. Buds small, conical, smooth in outline, scales tightly appressed, almost glabrous; a small, elongated, flattened lateral bud with loose tomentum on tip is often found alongside but not joined to the primary bud. Tendrils long, bifid, slender, be- coming very strong and woody, firmly attached to supports; often bearing clusters at three successive nodes, and the more vigorous shoots branching secondarily and producing many small clusterlets (second crop) . Leaves: Medium sized, 18.0x18.0 cm; distinctly five lobed, outline regular; upper surface very dark green; blade flat but surface finely bullated, all sinuses well marked and deep ; the up- per lateral ones sometimes closed by the overlapping leaf lobes, the lower lateral ones with parallel sides wide U shaped. Petiolar sinus open U, very wide at the base, incised almost to lower lateral veins. Veins on lower surface very prominent, covered with numer- ous, short, bristly hairs. Lower leaf surface heavily hairy, never becoming glabrous; grayish in aspect, tomentum flocculating with age. Teeth very large, obtuse, few in number, sharply pointed at apices. Petiole distinctly hairy, slen- der, reddish or maroon when exposed to sunlight. Leaf fall late; autumnal coloration commencing as patches of scarlet and finally turning to a uni- form blood red. Floivers: Medium sized; calyptra dark green, shedding readily and com- pletely; filaments short, thick, oblique. Pollen abundant and plant highly self- fertile. Fruit: Clusters medium small, 200 to 350 gm, compact to very compact, peduncle short, lignified, very thick, tough. No tendency toward parthenocarpic fruit development. Berry pedicels very short, thick, warty; adherence very good. Berry ellipsoidal, often compressed in the cluster; medium small, the larger ones about 2.3 gm ; j et black, dull, mod- erate waxy bloom. Skin thick, very re- sistant to mechanical injury, heavily pigmented, partly separating from the pulp (slipskin) ; pulp soft, very juicy; most of the berries with three seeds. Very resistant to fruit rots and molds, hanging on the vine and shriveling rap- idly when overripe. Ripening in early midseason, sugar content high, 22 to 25 per cent Balling; acidity remains high, 0.75 to 1.00 gm per 100 cc of juice, as tartaric (at Davis, California). Juice bright scarlet, more intense than Ali- cante Bouschet, very stable, sediment settling readily after extraction, not oxidizing easily on exposure or when processed for jellies or beverage use, flavor of Concord, but less pronounced, highly palatable. 15m-5,'48(A7967s) [6]