Morphology, anatomy and development of the pericarp after anthesis in grape, Vitis vinifera L.

Studies of the structure and cytological development of the pericarp of the grape berry are reviewed and further studies conducted using contemporary methods of histology, histochemistry, electron microscopy and traditional methods of proximate analysis to investigate post-anthesis pericarp morphology, anatomy, fine structure and tissue composition. The observations are presented within a biological and ecological context in which the pericarp, in its primary role, serves as an aid to seed dispersal, as indicated by the developmental changes it undergoes in composition and structure after anthesis. It is concluded that the pericarp embodies a broad spectrum of evolutionary responses to natural selection exerted both by biotic and abiotic factors in wild populations of grapevines. The presently used cultivars have retained these characteristics, as they have not been exposed for thousands of years, and are still not exposed, to natural selection.