Heritability and correlation studies of certain quantitative traits in table grapes, Vitis spp

Heritabilities and phenotypic correlations among 10 traits of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera x V. rotundifolia hybrid derivatives) were estimated from measurements obtained from 46 families, including a total of more than 1000 offspring generated by crosses among 26 parents. Heritabilities are 0.12, 0.55, 0.49, 0.75, 1.04, 0.34, 0.15 and 0.10 for cluster weight, cluster compactness, berry weight, skin texture, pulp texture, total soluble solids, acidity of juice and general vigor, respectively. The expected performance of the progeny of randomly mated parents, ranked in the upper 5% of the progeny generation, were estimated. The implications of the genetic relationships on the effectiveness and efficiency of breeding programs and selection procedures in grapes are discussed.