2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Study the adaptability, berry maturity, quality, and horticultural performance, such as crop load and canopy management in various new selections and cultivars of table grapes under Southwest Idaho conditions. Improve berry quality and size in those table grapes which are showing promising results under the climate conditions of the PNW by girdling, cluster thinning, and cutting and gibberellic acid. Study the effects of storage on fruit quality. Prolong the period of table grape beyond California grapes, and, perhaps, reduce the Chilean grape import in the PNW in the winter. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Grapes will be selected and planted at the University of Idaho vineyard along with several new cultivars. Fruit quality attributes will be measured; vine growth, bloom dates, and fruit maturity and quality attributes will be evaluated. Table grapes planted at the University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center between 1994 and 2001 will be used in the study. Cluster thinning and girdling will be performed on one lateral cordon to follow vine survival during the following winter. Callus development and wound-healing will be evaluated. In cultivars that show a satisfactory rate of wound-healing, the entire vine will be girdled. Grapes will be harvested between mid September and mid October. Seven replications from six cultivars that show promise, based on previous experiments, will be stored at 32 degrees and evaluated for berry quality attributes after 20, 40, and 60 days. Documents SCA with U of Idaho. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a grant agreement between ARS and University of Idaho. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the parent project 5358-21000-034-00D, Production Systems to Promote Yield and Quality of Grapes in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. Fallahi and collaborators conducted the following research towards the agreements objectives: Economic issues such as increasing gas prices and high labor costs have created challenges for U.S. fruit growers. Pome and stone fruit markets fluctuate widely due to competition in the global fruit market, and the use of controlled atmosphere storage has extended fruit availability in the market and reduced or eliminated the window for the Pacific Northwest market. Therefore, a large number of growers are seeking an alternative fruit crop, and table grapes are an excellent alternative for growers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. Table grapes will fit perfectly in the operation of any wine grape or small fruit grower and will have excellent local market and export potential. Table grapes in the PNW are harvested when most of the fresh table grapes in California are either finished or are only available in storage, thus table grape production will give PNW growers a niche market opportunity. Our research indicates that with practices such as cluster removal and cutting we can produce table grapes with excellent cluster and berry sizes in the region. Our results show that many of the tested cultivars not only mature after California grape production has slowed down or finished but also have superior berry color without adding any plant growth regulators. Preliminary results indicate that new cultivars such as ‘Anahita’, ‘Kashishi’, and ‘Autumn Royal’ may have a great potential and we intend to continue our research on these cultivars as well. Numerous growers in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon are using the results of this project to establish table grapes in their areas. Every step of this project is used as a model for this newly established industry in the PNW. Also, several researchers are using our findings to further study the performance of table grapes in other locations in the PNW. Fallahi, E. 2006. Table Grape variety Evaluation and Improving Berry Quality, Size, and Yield, Under Desert Conditions of the Pacific Northwest. Proceeding of the Northwest Center for Small Fruit Research 14th Annual Conference. 72-73. ADODR Statement: The ADODR discussed results through e-mail. Results were reported at the Northwest Center for Small Fruits annual meeting in December.