It is a very popular crop in the world and commercially grown in most countries. It is a perennial and deciduous woody climbing vine. It is a good source of vitamin B and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Grapes are used for raw eating and are used for making various products such as jelly, jam, raisins, vinegar, juice, seed oil and grape seed extracts. Grape farming is mainly done in France, USA, Turkey, South Africa, China, Portugal, Argentina, Iran, Italy, and Chile. Among these China is the largest country doing grape farming. It also has health benefits such as it is used to control diabetes, relieves from asthma, heart issues, constipation, bone health etc. it is also useful for skin and hair health related issues.

In Himachal Pradesh, production of grapes is done in dry areas such as Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and in hilly areas such as Kangra, Una, Hamirpur, Mandi, lower regions of Solan, Paonta hills of Sirmour etc. In dry areas where rainfall is less, varieties of grapes ripen in August-October month and in low hilly areas where rainfall begins in end-June, early varieties can be grown.
 

It is grown in a variety of soil but good fertile soil having pH range of 6.5-8.5 having good water holding capacity is suited best for grape farming.

For dry areas:

For making raisins: Thompson Seedless, Black Sahebi

For raw eating: Thompson Seedless, Beauty Seedless, Black Sahebi, Anab-e-Shahi,

For juice making: Beauty Seedless, Black Prince

For making vine: Rangspray, Cholhu White, Cholhu Red

For low hilly areas:

Perlette, Beauty Seedless, Delight, and Himred.

Thompson Seedless: Bunches are big, equal sized grape, the grape is medium long, green color fruits turn golden at maturity, fruit is seedless, hard and good taste, late maturing variety.

Black Sahebi: Fruit is purple in color, good quality, good bunches, thin peel and sweet flesh, soft seeds, can be kept for a long time, less fruit yield, large sized fruit.

Perlette: High yielding variety, bunches are large to medium in size, grapes are medium size, lightly aromatic, round, thick peel, sweet flesh and hard.

Anab-e-Shahi: Bunches are medium to large sized filled, milk color fruits, thin peel, good quality fruits having sweet fruit.

Black Prince: Purple color round shaped fruit, thick peel, sweet and soft flesh, medium sized bunches, less dense, good yield giving early variety, suitable for raw eating and for juice making.
 

Well prepared land is necessary for grapes cultivation. To bring the soil to a fine tilth, 3-4 deep ploughings done by tractor followed by 3 harrowings.
 

Fertilizer Requirement (gm/tree)

At the time of pit filling, add cow dung@50kg, SSP@2kg and mixture of Chlorpyriphos@1.5ltr and mixed well in soil. After addition, light irrigation is necessary.

On new plant grape wines, apply Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN)@250gm and MOP@250gm in April month and again in June month.
  
In dry areas add CAN@1200gm, SSP@1500gm, and MOP@500gm for full developed vines.
 

Application of Stomp@800ml per acre is done as the pre-emergence in the first fortnight of March after thorough ploughing and then spraying of Gramoxone 24 WCS (paraquat) or Glycel 41 SL (glyphosate)@1.6ltr/acre in 150ltr water is done as post emergence when the weeds attain the height of 15-20cm.

In mid hills, irrigation is given in the first fortnight of February month and then in the first week of March. Then again irrigation is given at fruit development stage from start April to end-June. Irrigation is then necessary during less rainfall. In dry areas depending upon climate, irrigation is given once in a week.

• Pest and their control:
  

Beetles: They eat fresh leaves and make the vines leafless.
Treatment: Spraying of Malathion@0.05% is done to get rid of beetles.
 

Thrips and Jassids: It sucks the juice of leaves and fruits. Jassids suck the juice from the lower surface of leaves which causes white spots on the upper layer.
Treatment: Spraying of Malathion@0.05% is done.
 

Leaf roller: Caterpillar makes the leaf roll. It also eats the flowers.
Treatment: Spraying of Quinalphos@600ml per 150ltr water is done to get rid of leaf roller.
 

Yellow and red wasp: This pest eats the mature fruits by doing the hole.
Treatment: Spraying of Quinalphos@600ml per 150ltr water is done to get rid of yellow and red wasp.
 

• Disease and their control:
  

Downy mildew: Irregular shaped yellow color spots are seen on the upper layer of leaves and on lower layer fungus of white color is seen.
Treatment: The first spray of Mancozeb@500-600gm is done during training and pruning, the second spray is done after 3-4 weeks of the first spray, then the third spray is done before twig development and then fourth spray is done when bunch development start.
 

Anthracnose: On stem and branches, deep sunken wounds of canker are seen and on leaves, brown color stains are seen.
Treatment: Spraying of copper oxychloride or M-45@400gm per 150ltr water is done to get rid of anthracnose.
 

Harvesting is mainly done from start-February to end-April. Harvesting of matured bunches having 18^o brix is done. It gives an average yield of 8-12.5ton/acre for seedless varieties and 15-20ton/acre for seeded varieties.

After harvesting, grading is done. After grading, fruits are pre cooled at 4.4°C temperature within six hours. Packing of grapes is done in containers for long distance markets.

Time of sowing:
In low hilly areas and in dry areas, sowing is done in February-March month.

Spacing:
By Kniffin method, use spacing of 3X3m and by arbour method use spacing of 5 X 3m. For Anab-e-Shahi variety, use a spacing of 6 X 3m.