The effect of leaf removal and canopy height on whole-vine gas exchange and fruit development of Vitis vinifera L. Sauvignon Blanc

Abstract

Canopy topping and leaf removal are management practices commonly used in New Zealand vineyards to increase light and pesticide penetration to the fruit zone, thus, reducing disease incidence. Previous research has suggested that an increase in photosynthesis occurs when leaves are removed, and this may compensate for the reduced leaf area. However, it is difficult to extrapolate single-leaf photosynthesis measurements to a whole-plant scale. Therefore the extent of the compensation is unknown. To evaluate the impact of leaf removal and canopy height on whole-vine photosynthesis, treatments were imposed during the lag phase of berry growth. Leaves were removed from the lower quarter of the canopy, or vines were topped to three quarters of the height of control plants, in a two-by-two-factorial design. Both topping and leaf removal caused a decrease in whole-vine photosynthesis immediately after the treatments were imposed. Leaf removal, but not topping height, reduced photosynthesis on a per unit leaf area basis. This suggests that the lower portion of the canopy contributes more than the upper portion of the canopy to whole-vine photosynthesis. When measurements were made again approximately two months later, tall vines without leaf removal had a higher photosynthesis rate than the other treatments. Fruit yield, sugar content, vine carbohydrate reserves and pruning weights followed trends similar to those observed for photosynthesis, suggesting that although some photosynthetic compensation occurred, the defoliation treatments had a negative effect on vine growth.