ABSTRACT
A grape is a botanically a berry fruit that belongs to the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten fresh or they can be used for making wine, jam, juice, jelly, grape seed extract, raisins, vinegar, and grape seed oil. Grapes are a non-climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. Grapes grow in clusters of 15–300, and can be crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green, orange, and pink. White grapes are green in color, and are evolutionarily derived from the purple grape. Mutations in 2 regulatory genes of white grapes turn off production of anthocyanins, which are responsible for the color of purple grapes. Grapes are typically an ellipsoid shape resembling a prolate spheroid. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 75,866 km2 of the world are dedicated to grapes. Approximately 71% of world grape production is used for wine, 27% as fresh fruit, and 2% as dried fruit. The top grape producing countries are China, United States, Italy, France, Spain, and Turkey. This chapter contains information regarding grape fruit diseases and methods for their treatment.
