Yield and Fruit Quality Performance of Muscadine (Muscadinia rotundifolia) Genotypes Grown in Florida

Muscadine ( Muscadinia rotundifolia Michx ) is a fruit crop native to the southeastern United States that is well-adapted to warm and humid subtropical environments. However, most available muscadine cultivars exhibit several limitations that hinder commercial production. This study evaluated four commercial cultivars and 10 advanced selections from the Muscadine Breeding Program of the University of Georgia over a 4-year period to assess their annual yield, agronomic traits, production performance, and fruit quality traits. Significant genotypic variability was observed across all traits evaluated, thus reinforcing the strong genetic influence on muscadine productivity and fruit characteristics. ‘Granny Val’ exhibited the highest total yield (TY) and commercial yield (CY), whereas Ga. 6-6-358 showed comparable TY, CY, and percentage of sound berries (SB%) values. Ga. 6-1-269 also performed well, consistently exhibiting high percentage of CY (CY%) and low susceptibility to field berry decay, indicating strong potential for commercial production under warm and humid conditions. Additionally, it showed earlier maturity and an extended harvest period, which are traits that could help prolong the muscadine availability window in the southeastern United States. In contrast, the high rotten berry percentage (RB%) observed in Ga. 10-1-294 and Ga. 12-3-22 and the low total soluble solids (TSS) contents in Ga. 13-4-79 and Ga. 12-5-46 limit their suitability for commercial use. Although low-yielding, Ga. 10-1-329 exhibited high TSS and dark berry pigmentation, which are traits associated with sweetness and high antioxidant content. Overall, these results provide essential information for cultivar selection and muscadine breeding efforts aimed to improve adaptation, fruit quality, and productivity under subtropical growing conditions.