Abstract. The aim of this study was to characterize the yield components of the grape BRS Isis grown in tropical conditions of the São Francisco Valley. The work was carried out during five growing seasons (2013)(2014)(2015) in Petrolina, PE. The phenological cycle was 127 days between pruning to harvest. It was obtained 65.8% of sprouting on the rootstock IAC 313 and 60.4% on 'SO4'. The bud fertility rates were high, around 1.00 bunches per shoot. The average production per plant was 20.63 kg on 'SO4' and 18.34 kg on 'IAC 313', corresponding to an yield at 29.45 ton/ha/season on 'SO4' and 26.19 ton/ha/season on 'IAC 313'. The bunches are medium in size and cylindrical shaped with mass of 400 g on 'SO4' and 370 g on 'IAC 313'. The bunch length and width were also slightly higher on 'SO4' (21.32 cm × 11.89 cm) compared to 'IAC 313' (20.42 cm × 11.50 cm). The berries are large, elliptical shaped, crunchy with a neutral flavor. The grape presented SS content around 16.0• Brix and low TA (0.44 and 0.49%), giving an apropriate SS/TA ratio and pleasant taste. The results showed that 'BRS Isis' can be considered as a new option of seedless grape for the tropical viticulture in the Northeastern of Brazil.

Table grape stands out among the main fruit-bearing plants of irrigated agriculture in the São Francisco Valley region of Brazil. This study estimated repeatability and heritability coefficients and predicted genetic gains in order to select superior genotypes in grape progenies from controlled hybridizations using the Restricted Maximum Likelihood/Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (REML/BLUP) methodology. Individual plants were evaluated for the variables of production (kg per plant), number of bunches, bunch weight (g), berry diameter (mm), and soluble solids content (°Brix). We evaluated 194 hybrids from 30 crosses between Vitis vinifera and interspecific hybrids in Juazeiro, Bahia State, Brazil, over four growing seasons. Repeatability coefficients, ranging from 0.164 for soluble solids content to 0.72 for berry diameter, were estimated with accuracy values higher than 80 % for all variables, except for soluble solids content (66 %). The 30 best individuals classified for each variable exhibited genetic gains and their new estimated mean values were higher than the overall mean of the population in all variables. Regarding production and number of bunches per plant as the main variables, 15 genotypes were selected simultaneously for both variables. Among which, hybrids CPATSA 15.05, 15.06, 15.06T, and 23.103 stand out because they have trace seeds and should be selected for the following steps of genetic breeding to develop new table grape cultivars for the Brazilian semiarid region.

This study aimed to evaluate the performance and characteristics of the grapes as subsidies to the recommendation of new wine grape cultivars for the São Francisco Valley. An experiment was carried out in Petrolina, Pernambuco state, during four seasons in 2014 and 2015 and the treatments were represented by 10 cultivars and three breeding selections: Grenache, Tempranillo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Syrah for red wines and Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and breeding selections 46, 14 and 47 for white wines. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replicates and two useful plants per plot. The following variables were evaluated: sprouting, bud fertility rate, Ravaz index, production, number of clusters, weight, length and width of cluster, weight and volume of 100 berries, soluble solids and titratable acidity. A better balance between production and vigour was obtained in Grenache, Merlot and Tempranillo cultivars, presenting values of 7.56, 6.50 and 5.93, respectively, for Ravaz index. Grenache, Chenin Blanc and Tempranillo were the most productive cultivars with average yields estimated at 10.4, 8.7 and 8.4 ton/ha/season. Selection 14 had longer, wider and less compact clusters, which can reduce clusters rottenness. The percentage of sprouting ranged from 38.13% in selection 14 to 77.6% in cv. Chenin Blanc. The average index of bud fertility was 0.79 cluster/bud, with no significant differences among cultivars. Greater potential for sugar accumulation was found in the selections 14, 46 and 47, while the titratable acidity ranged from 0.63% in cv. Merlot to 0.89% in selection 47. Grenache and Tempranillo have showed potential to obtain adequate yield and balanced vines, while Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot presented low yield being necessary to select clones more productive and well adapted to the tropical conditions. Further information about the quality of grapes and wines should be added to these results to allow the recommendation of new cultivars or breeding selections of wine grapes for the São Francisco Valley.