Description
Autumn Royal is a late black seedless table grape from the USDA breeding station at Fresno, California. It was crossed in 1981 from Autumn Black × a USDA selection and released in 1996. Its purple-black, oval berries are naturally very large, about 8 g or more without treatments, with firm, translucent flesh and fairly thin skin. It ripens from late September to mid-October and stores well.
Characteristics
Black (purple-black) seedless table grape; very large ovoid berries; firm crunchy flesh; low to medium skin thickness; large bunches; late ripening; variable yields; good cold storage; occasional noticeable seed traces
Growing Tips
Grow Autumn Royal on a cordon with short two-bud spurs; cane pruning tends to overcrop it. Untipped bunches can get very heavy, so tip or thin them after set. Its berries can crack and rot in wet weather, and the vine is very sensitive to downy mildew, so keep the canopy open around harvest. The fruit colours unevenly, so pick in several passes.