Carbohydrate metabolism in grape cultivars that differ in sucrose accumulation

Sugar concentrations and sucrose-metabolism related enzyme activities in berries and leaves were investigated during berry development using grape cultivars with different sucrose concentrations. Sucrose concentration was significantly negatively related to acid invertase activity in berries. Acid invertase showed the lowest activities in berries of high-sucrose cultivars, 'Honey Juice' and 'B180', and the highest in trace-sucrose cultivars, 'Concord', 'Jingxiu', and 'Jingya'. Acid invertase activities in berries of low-sucrose cultivar 'Canadice' were between high- and trace-sucrose cultivars. There was no significant difference in glucose and fructose concentrations, the activities of neutral invertase, sucrose synthase and sucrose phosphate synthase in berries among high-, low- and trace-sucrose cultivars as acid invertase. Sugar concentrations and sucrose-metabolism related enzymes activities in leaves also did not show such difference among all cultivars. The results suggest that differences in sucrose concentration in berries among grape cultivars mainly be due to acid invertase activity. In addition, the final sucrose concentration in berries at maturity for a grape cultivar might be decided at veraison, and veraison is the key period for sucrose accumulation.