Research from Charles Sturt University provide new insights into agriculture, grape and wine research.

According to recent research from Wagga Wagga, Australia, "High rainfall events after the onset of ripening commonly cause the skin of grape berries to split. The aim was to verify the suggestion, based on vineyard observations, that the susceptibility of grapes to splitting decreases during ripening, and to establish the role of cell vitality in this process."

"The susceptibility of detached, ripening berries, cv. Shiraz, to splitting was assessed by immersing them in sucrose solutions or deionised water. At the onset of ripening, susceptibility to splitting was highest and decreased only slightly over 30 days. Thereafter, susceptibility decreased greatly until becoming …