Influence of different soil tillage and leaf removal treatments on yield, cluster and berry characteristics in cv. Syrah (Vitis vinifera L.)

Abstract

The research was conducted 2011 vegetation period (40° 56? 7.46? N; 27° 27? 7.11? E) in Tekirdag, Turkey. The effects of 3 different soil tillage treatments and 3 leaf removal treatments on leaf water potential (?leaf), yield, cluster and berry characteristics of cv. Syrah were investigated in this study. The vineyard orientated E-W direction, vine spacing was 2.6 to 1m and the vines were pruned as bilateral cordon on a Modified Open Lyre Training System. Leaf removal treatments were performed at veraison. Different soil tillage applications affected cluster length and berry fresh and dry mass. The leaf removal treatments affected only total leaf area per vine (m2.vine-1). The results confirm that main leaf removal and lateral shoot leaf removal treatments there was no significant difference found in non leaf removal treatment according to exposable leaf area. In this trellising system, under these soil and climatic conditions, it could be advised conservative soil tillage alternatively to conventional soil tillage as to be more economical. Furthermore, leaf removal treatments under different climatic conditions physiologically should be researched more about the leaf water potential, photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance in canopy because of their different effects.