PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bhaskar Bondada
AU  - José Ignacio Covarrubias
AU  - Paola Tessarin
AU  - Aparecida Conceiçao Boliani
AU  - Gilmar Marodin
AU  - Adamo Domenico Rombolà
TI  - Postveraison Shoot Trimming Reduces Cluster Compactness without Compromising Fruit Quality Attributes in Organically-Grown Sangiovese Grapevines
AID  - 10.5344/ajev.2016.15058
DP  - 2016 Mar 01
TA  - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
PG  - ajev.2016.15058
4099  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2016/02/25/ajev.2016.15058.short
4100  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/early/2016/02/25/ajev.2016.15058.full
AB  - Vine performance following preveraison shoot trimming is well document, the consequences of such treatments later in the season are poorly understood. Therefore, a 4-yr study was conducted in a mature vineyard of Sangiovese (clone 12T) grafted onto Kober 5BB rootstock at a spacing of 1 m × 2.8 m (intra- and interrow) to analyze the influence of postveraison shoot trimming on vine growth characteristics, cluster architecture (cluster compactness), and yield from a physiological viewpoint. The treatments consisted of shoot trimming during postveraison in a randomized block design with eight replications; each replication comprised of six vines. Three shoot trimming treatments consisting of light trimming (14 nodes), severe trimming (10 nodes), and an un-trimmed control were imposed when the soluble solids reached 15 Brix in August (40–45 day before expected harvest). Following the treatments, various vine growth characteristics, cluster morphology, and fruit quality attributes were measured. Postveraison shoot trimming, especially severe trimming reduced cluster weight along with cluster compactness, productivity, and total yield. In terms of fruit quality attributes, these reductions were manifested as lowering of Brix and pH with minor effects on TA, yeast assimilable nitrogen, the anthocyanin profile, and total anthocyanins. These results demonstrated that postveraison shoot trimming can be a valuable production practice in reducing cluster compactness without compromising overall fruit quality attributes in Sangiovese.