ALI R. El-SHEREIF, FUSAO MIZUTANI, JUSTUS M. ONGUSO and KIPKORIONY L. RUTTO
The Experimental Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, Hattanji 498, Matsuyama City, Ehime 799-2424, Japan
El-SHEREIF, Ali R., Fusao MIZUTANI, Justus M. ONGUSO and Kipkoriony L. RUTTO, 2006. Effect of electric current on bud break and ACC content of 'muscat bailey a' grapevine buds. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 12: 413-419
The influence of electric current on bud dormancy and ACC content of grapevines was studied using canes of 'Muscat Bailey A' grapevines collected in November and December, 2005. A direct current of 60 V was introduced basipetally by inserting electrodes into pith tissue of grape cuttings for 24 hrs. Bud break was evaluated at 24 °C using single-eye cuttings. Electric current was highly effective in breaking bud dormancy in November where bud break occurred earlier and at a higher percentage than in the control. In December, electric current had no effect in promoting bud break compared with the control. Electric current recorded higher ACC content after one and two weeks of treatment in November compared with the control. ACC content gradually decreased from the third week to be lower than the control. However, in December ACC content was significantly higher under direct current only after one week and there were no significant differences thereafter. The results suggest that electric current can replace part of the chilling requirements in grapevines and bud break of grapevine seems to be associated with the promotion of ethylene biosynthesis caused by electric current stress.