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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.

Sec. Crop and Product Physiology

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1660290

Optimization of grape artificial hybrid pollination technology process and the effect of different male parents on the fruit setting rate

Provisionally accepted
Ruijin  ZhouRuijin Zhou1Ruxin  GaiRuxin Gai1Wanying  LiaoWanying Liao1Qiujie  WuQiujie Wu1Jiahui  ChengJiahui Cheng1Yongmu  LiYongmu Li1Xiucai  FanXiucai Fan2Guirong  LiGuirong Li1*
  • 1Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, China
  • 2Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Zhengzhou Fruit Research Institute, Zhengzhou, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Grape (Vitis vinifera L.) is a globally paramount fruit crop, exerting a pivotal role in China's agricultural production. However, the grape industry confronts core bottlenecks: centralized table grape listing resulting in recurrent oversupply, underdeveloped independent brand development, scarcity of internationally recognized cultivars, and suboptimal crossbreeding efficiency (e.g., concentrated 6 - 10-day flowering periods, complex flower ear structures, and stringent technical requirements for emasculation/pollination). To tackle these industry and breeding challenges, this study refined artificial hybridization pollination protocols and systematically analyzed pollen viability and hybridization affinity of nine male parents, using 'Shine Muscat' (Vitis labrusca × Vitis vinifera) grape as the female parent. Key findings revealed that pollen collection 1-2 days before messenger flower bloom optimizes viability, Ultra-low -80℃storage sustained pollen viability optimally. Precise early-stage anther removal and three-day pollination post stigma mucus secretion elevate the fruit set rate by 15%–20%. Hybrid combinations exhibited significant variations in fruit set rate (27.8%–62.3%), with 'Moldova' grape achieving the highest rate of 62.3%. A standardized process integrating parental selection, pollen management, emasculation-pollination, and data recording was established, elevating hybridization success rates by over 40%. This study delivers a scalable solution for grape cultivation.

Keywords: Grape, Artificial hybridization, Parental selection, pollination technology, Pollen viability, Fruit setting rate

Received: 22 Jul 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Gai, Liao, Wu, Cheng, Li, Fan and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Guirong Li, Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.