This book places grapes in the context of their family, the Vitaceae. It begins by focusing on the relationship of the family to other angiosperms and the interrelationships and characteristics of its genera. Two chapters emphasize the structure and development of its major vegetative and reproductive characteristics. Keys and illustrated descriptions for 19 North American species including 10 Vitis are provided. The three chapters on Vitis begin with a brief history of grape growing, with emphasis on North America. There is an illustrated life history of grape, following the two-year cycle from bud initiation to fruit maturity. The final chapter discusses the history of grapevine identification in North America, concluding with descriptions and illustrations of 30 important North American cold climate cultivars. The book is a general resource for understanding the growth, development, life history, and identification of grapes and the Vitaceae.

Taming the Wild Grape is the story behind one man’s dream to create a legacy in the newly settled land of Ohio in the 1800s. Following the Revolutionary War, Josiah Pelton was aware that his farm in Killingworth, Connecticut, could no longer support him and his wife, let alone allow each of their sons a place to prosper. His purchase of 6,605 acres in the Western Reserve prompted Josiah to embark on a six-hundred-mile journey with his son Jesse so that they could inspect the land and begin clearing it. When Josiah returned to Connecticut to bring the rest of his family west, Jesse, at the age of twenty-two, was left behind in the wilderness—his only companion a young man hired to help with the heavy work of felling trees and uprooting the wild grape vines that covered the land. Josiah and his sons worked tirelessly to make their farms productive, and as more settlers arrived in the township of Gustavus, Josiah turned his attention to creating a community. Through personal tragedies as well as those of his fellow settlers, the ever-present threats of Indian attack, adverse weather conditions, and the War of 1812, Josiah’s dream took shape.

Contents 1. Maria Isabel Andrade: Sweetpotato Breeder, Technology Transfer Specialist, and Advocate 1 2. Development of Cold Climate Grapes in the Upper Midwestern U.S.: The Pioneering Work of Elmer Swenson 31 3. Candidate Genes to Extend Fleshy Fruit Shelf Life 61 4. Breeding Naked Barley for Food, Feed, and Malt 95 5. The Foundations, Continuing Evolution, and Outcomes from the Application of Intellectual Property Protection in Plant Breeding and Agriculture 121 6. The Use of Endosperm Genes for Sweet Corn Improvement: A review of developments in endosperm genes in sweet corn since the seminal publication in Plant Breeding Reviews, Volume 1, by Charles Boyer and Jack Shannon (1984) 215 7. Gender and Farmer Preferences for Varietal Traits: Evidence and Issues for Crop Improvement 243 8. Domestication, Genetics, and Genomics of the American Cranberry 279 9. Images and Descriptions of Cucurbita maxima in Western Europe in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries 317

The Science of Grapevines, Third Edition reflects the latest insights into cultivar relationships, vascular transport, hormone action, and stress responses of grapevines. Based on the author's many years of teaching, research and practical experience with grapevines and grape production, the book is completely revised and updated, presenting a comprehensive introduction on the physical structure of the grapevine, its organs, their functions, and their environmental interactions. While many concepts discussed are broadly applicable to plants in general, the focus is on grapevines, especially cultivated grapevines. This book enables readers to use these concepts in their own scientific research or in practical production systems. Scientifically grounded and integrating discoveries in other plant species, the book explores the physiological processes underlying grapevine form and function, their developmental and environmental control, and their implications for practical vineyard management. - Improves user understanding of the impact of their management decisions and cultural practices - Enables prediction of the consequences of actions in the vineyard and the diagnosis and mitigation of potential problems before they threaten the sustainability of grape production - Includes specific insights on canopy-environment interactions, yield formation, sources of variation in fruit composition and environmental constraints