Abstract
The responses to late season mechanical leaf removal (four weeks after verasion) conducted above the clusters zone in ‘Sangiovese’/3309 C vines trained to spur-pruned cordon were assessed in 2011 as grape composition, wine quality and replenishment of the reserve in roots and stems. Eliminating 36% of the more functional leaves (i.e. median leaves and a fraction of well-expanded apical leaves of either primary and lateral shoots) resulted an effective, easy-to-do and economically viable method (it required only 3-4 hours per hectare) to slow grape ripening and obtain grapes with reduced soluble solids concentration and wine with lower alcohol content (-0.6%). Concurrently, the concentration of phenolics compounds in the grapes, the chemical and chromatic characteristics of the wines and the replenishment of the reserves (alcohol-soluble sugars, starch and total nitrogen) in the stems and roots were unaffected as compared to the non defoliated vines. This preliminary data also suggest that, in ‘Sangiovese’, a robust response can be achieved if leaf removal is performed when the soluble solids concentration in the berries ranges around 15-16 °Brix and while severity of defoliation should not be less than 35-40% of the pending total leaf area.
Lingua originale | English |
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Titolo della pubblicazione ospite | ISHS Acta Horticulturae 978: I International Workshop on Vineyard Mechanization and Grape and Wine Quality |
Pagine | 301-307 |
Numero di pagine | 7 |
DOI | |
Stato di pubblicazione | Pubblicato - 2013 |
Evento | I International Workshop on Vineyard Mechanization and Grape and Wine Quality - Piacenza Durata: 27 giu 2012 → 29 giu 2012 |
Workshop
Workshop | I International Workshop on Vineyard Mechanization and Grape and Wine Quality |
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Città | Piacenza |
Periodo | 27/6/12 → 29/6/12 |
Keywords
- anthocyanins/sugar ratio
- berry composition,
- leaf area/yield ratio
- reserve storage