Berry color characterization for grape phenotyping

The fruit colour is an important quality factor for the cultivar classification and for the phenotyping techniques. Beside the subjective visual evaluation, new instruments and techniques can be applied. In this work, carried out in an ampelographic collection sited in the Oltrepò pavese viticultural area (Northern Italy), a phenotyping method based on the reflectance spectra was developed upon 120 grape varieties. The cluster analysis, together with the discriminant analysis, produced reliable classifications. The reflectance of the whole berry surface was also compared with the absorption properties of single skin extracts. In this way, a cultivar-independent index was obtained for the pigment content evaluation.