Ampelographic identification and comparison of some table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) clones

Clonal selection is an important tool for grapevine genetic improvement and high-quality production. Clonal selection has been carried out for 70 yr in Turkey and is being continued with different grape cultivars and rootstocks. In this study, 16 clones belonging to nine grape cultivars were selected by the Ataturk Central Horticultural Research Institute for study over 3 yr. Vines were characterised using standard ampelographic descriptors and the data obtained were transformed into numerical scores for analysis of genetic similarity. Although all the clones studied could be uniquely identified, there was much less variation between clones of a particular cultivar than there was between cultivars.