Pruning Level Affects Growth and Yield of New York Concord on Two Training Systems

Abstract

A Concord production trial conducted from 1998 to 2002 in Fredonia, New York, examined the effect of pruning level and canopy division on yield, vegetative growth, and fruit characteristics to a harvest target of 16 ± 0.5 Brix. Retained nodes per vine ranged from 56 to 383 on five single-wire (SW) trained treatments and from 90 to 260 on three Geneva double-curtain (GDC) trained treatments. Increasing retained nodes per vine increased vine yield and decreased the rate of juice soluble solids accumulation, which delayed harvest date. Increasing retained nodes above 260 nodes on SW training did not increase yield but additionally delayed juice soluble solids accumulation and harvest date. The relationships between retained nodes and yield, yield components, canopy growth, leaf area, lignified nodes of periderm, and fruit maturation were similar in both SW and GDC training with no advantage to the divided canopy system. Season had a greater effect on veraison titratable acidity and the rate of titratable acidity decline to harvest than did pruning or training treatments. Juice soluble solids and color were closely related, and since all treatments were harvested at a predetermined Brix level, there was no effect of season, pruning, or training on juice color at harvest.