COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF GROWTH AND YIELD PARAMETERS OF GRAPE VAR. ‘MUSCAT HAMBURG’ GRAFTED ON ‘DOG RIDGE’ ROOTSTOCK AND SELF-ROOTED CUTTINGS

India ranks seventh in grape production at the global level. Tamil Nadu is one of the leading states in grape cultivation in India. The utilization of rootstock has become a priority aspect in grapes cultivation worldwide, especially in the current climatic conditions. The utilization of grape root stocks has not been completely explored yet in Tamil Nadu. In this regard, we compared the growth and yield parameters of grape (Vitis vinifera) var. ‘‘Muscat Hamburg’’ grafted on ‘Dog Ridge’ (Vitis champini) and self-rooted cuttings(of ‘‘Muscat Hamburg’’) under Cumbum valley condition, Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India. Randomly, fifty vines were chosen, each in grafted and self-rooted cutting category. ‘Muscat Hamburg’ is a wide variety in Cumbum valley of Theni district. The growth and yield characters were recorded. The petiole nutrient content for major elements during the flowering phase was analyzed. The growth characters viz., trunk diameter (42.46 mm), cane diameter (5.70 mm), number of fruitful shoots per cane (1.37), shoot length after pruning (42.52 cm), and leaf area (108.16 cm) were recorded maximum in ‘Muscat Hamburg’ grafted on ‘Dog Ridge’ rootstock. The grafted ‘Muscat Hamburg’on ‘Dog Ridge’ showed the highest berry weight (3.67 g),and the number of clusters per shoot (1.46).The yield characters, viz., the fruitfulness characters, such as the number of fruitful shoots per cane (1.37) was recorded better in ‘Muscat Hamburg’ grafted on ‘Dog Ridge’ rootstock. The total number of berries per bunch (87.00), and yield per vine (21.87 kg/vine) were recorded as the highest in grafted vines. Obviously, when berry weight was the highest in grafted type, it reflected in bunch weight (276.74 g) with a maximum amount than self-rooted. The petiole nutrient contents were also found to be higher in grafted ones than in self-rooted cuttings. Overall, the use of ‘Dog Ridge’ as rootstock for grape variety ‘Muscat Hamburg’ was found promising to set enhanced vegetative growth, berry characters, and yield of the bunch than self-rooted cutting.