It is 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.

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.

Anab-e-shahi: It is an excellent variety. The creep has vigorous growth and has good yield. The pruning and training is done after 5 nodes. Fruits are egg shaped and are light buttery in color, which has soft peel, thin and flesh is sweet in taste.

Bhokri: The creeps are vigorous and diseases free. Bunches are small, tricone, and is filled. Fruits are medium in shape which are green in color and is sweet in taste. The peel is soft, thin and flesh is juicy.

Perlette: The training and pruning is done after 2-3 nodes. Bunches are sticky. Fruits are small, seedless and is yield giving variety. In north regions, sowing is done in first week of June.

Beauty Seedless: Bunch is fully filled. Fruit is medium in shape, taking sourness. In north regions, sowing is done in second week of June.

Pusa Seedless: The variety is released from Pusa. Fruits are big, egg shaped, seedless and sweet in taste. In north regions, sowing is done in third week of June.

Bangalore Blue: The variety is resistant to anthracnose and powdery mildew. Bunch is filled, small and cylindrical in shape. Fruits are round, medium size (5-6gm) and is black in color. The peel is thick, shining and flesh is green, soft and juicy. The seed number is 3-4.

Muscat Hamburg: It is also known as Gulabi, Karachi Gulabi, Black Prince and Paneer. The bunches are small. Grapes are small and the fruit matures in irregular way. The grapes juice is flavored.

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.

Arka Neel Mani: Released in 1980. It gives an average yield of 115qtl/acre. Its harvesting is done after 150-155 days of training and pruning. The bunch is filled and thick which has an average weight of 360gm.

Arka Shweta: Released in 1980. The fruits are deep red in color and the weight of the bunch is 260gm on an average. It gives an average yield of 12qtl/acre.  Its harvesting is done after 153-155 days of training and pruning.

Arka Mojestic: It gives an average yield of 150qtl/acre. Its harvesting is done after 160-163 days of training and pruning.

Arka Soma: It gives an average yield of 160qtl/acre. Its harvesting is done after 158-160 days of training and pruning. The average weight of per bunch is 410gm.

Pusa Navrang: It is very early maturing variety. The variety is resistant to powdery mildew. The variety is good for making juice and colored vine.

Pusa Urvashi: It is early maturing variety. Grapes are egg shaped and yellow in color.
 
Other state varieties:

Flame Seedless:  Released in 2000. It has medium bunch, seedless berry which is firm and crispy and becomes light purple in color at maturity. It contains 16-18% T.S.S. content. The variety matures on second week of June.

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.

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 should be done by tractor followed by 3 harrowings.

Time of sowing:
Optimum time for sowing is July-August month.

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

Sowing depth:
Cuttings are planted at the depth of 1m.
 

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.

Nutrient Requirement (kg/acre)

Fertilizer Requirement (kg/acre)

Application of fertilizer dose i.e. nitrogen@52-104kg/acre in the form of urea@23-47kg/acre, phosphorus@26-50kg/acre in the form of SSP@11-23kg/acre and potash@104-156kg/acre in the form of MOP@62-93kg/acre is done at the time of sowing.

• Pest and their control:
  

Beetles: They eat fresh leaves and make the vines leafless.

Treatment: Spraying of Malathion@400ml per 150ltr water is done to get rid of beetles.

Thrips and Jassids: It sucks the juice of leaves and fruits. Jassid sucks the sap from the lower surface of leaves which causes white spots on the upper layer.

Treatment: Spraying of Malathion@400ml per 150ltr water is done to get rid of thrips and jassids.
 

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:
  

Powdery mildew: Powdery material is seen on both sides of leaves and on a bunch of flowers. Wilting is seen on leaves which will ultimately get dried.

Treatment: Spraying of Carbendazim@400gm or wettable sulphur@600gm is done before flower development and at the time of fruit development.

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@400-500gm 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 fruits, 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 done when fruits are fully matured. 
 

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