Early Defoliation Impact on Fruitset, Yield, Fruit Quality, and Cold Hardiness in ‘Chambourcin’ Grapevines

Abstract

Several winegrape cultivars grown in cool climates, including Vitis sp. ‘Chambourcin’, are highly productive and require crop regulation to ensure timely fruit maturation and improved fruit quality. Balanced pruning and cluster thinning are the cultural practices used to attain the desired crop load in ‘Chambourcin’. However, crop reduction by cluster thinning is labor intensive, costly and typically not mechanized for winegrapes. In this study, the practice of early season leaf removal was investigated as an alternate tool to reduce crop level, thereby optimizing crop load and fruit quality in ‘Chambourcin’. The specific objectives were to determine the effects of the timing of leaf removal (pre-bloom, bloom, fruitset, no removal) on yield components, crop load, fruit composition, and cold hardiness. Leaf removal at pre-bloom and bloom reduced yield and crop load (Ravaz index) as compared to control (no defoliation). However, leaf removal did not impact fruit composition. Furthermore, defoliation at pre-bloom and bloom reduced bud cold injury during the dormant season. Therefore, early season leaf removal is a viable alternative to cluster thinning as a vineyard practice for yield regulation in ‘Chambourcin’ grapevines.