Crop Load Effects on Irrigated and Non-irrigated Vitis vinifera L. cv. Thompson Seedless

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effects of crop removal on gas exchange parameters of `Thompson Seedless' grapevines grown in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Vines were either irrigated at full ET or not irrigated throughout the growing season. Clusters were removed subsequent to veraison, when the fruit soluble solids were ≈15° Brix. Reductions in leaf net CO2 assimilation rate (A) were measured within 1 day of fruit removal for both irrigation treatments and remained such until the end of the experiment. The greatest reduction in A due to crop removal on a diurnal basis was with the non-irrigated vines between 0800 and 1000 hr. The reduction in A subsequent to crop removal was not the result of an accumulation of either starch or sugars in leaf tissue. The greater reduction in A of non-irrigated vines after fruit removal may have been due to the lack of strong, alternate sinks as vegetative growth was minimal due to water stress during the experimental period.