2019 ASHS Annual Conference

‘RubyCrisp’ is an hermaphroditic muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.) with red berries that was released by the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. ‘RubyCrisp’ produces high yields of large-sized berries with excellent taste suitable for the home-garden and you-pick markets. ‘RubyCrisp’ is novel in that it produces dark red berries rather than the normal black or bronze berry colors that typify muscadine. ‘RubyCrisp’ berries are also distinct in that they have firm flesh and a crisp, palatable skin and relatively low muscadine aroma. Yields of ‘RubyCrisp’ were equal to or better than other hermaphroditic cultivars tested. Berry weight is approximately 15 g, similar to ‘Supreme’ and ‘Paulk’. Ripening time is in the middle season, with the first picking occurring on Aug. 21 in Tifton, Ga., similar to ‘Supreme’ and ‘Fry’. RubyCrisp berries averaged 15.9 brix at harvest, compared to 14.0 brix for ‘Supreme’ and 15.3 brix for ‘Paulk’, this was higher than all other test cultivars except ‘Lane’. ‘RubyCrisp’ is likely unacceptable for the commercial market because the thin, crisp skin results in unacceptable berry split.