Ethephon use and application timing of abscisic acid for improving color of 'Rubi' table grape

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of ethephon and of abscisic acid (ABA) application timing on the color of 'Rubi' Table grape. Eight treatments were evaluated: control, without application; ethephon 500 mg L^-1 applied seven days after veraison (7 DAV); and two concentrations of ABA (200 and 400 mg L^-1) arranged with three application timings at 7 DAV, at 15 days before harvest (DBH), and at 7 DAV + 15 DBH. ABA does not modify physical‑chemical characteristics of the cluster and improves the color of grapes, especially when applied twice (7 DAV + 15 DBH) at the concentration of 400 mg L^-1.