Haley Williams* and Eric Stafne
*Mississippi State University, MAFES South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, 711 W. North St., Poplarville, MS 39470 (hnw111@msstate.edu)

The hot, humid environmental conditions of southern Mississippi hinder the ability to grow quality winegrapes; however, in other locations, canopy management practices have been shown to improve grape quality. Different pruning times and leaf removal were performed on MidSouth grapevines being grown in southern Mississippi to determine how these practices affect vine development and the quality of resultant grapes. Treatments included early (mid-December) versus normal (late-February) pruning, both with or without cluster zone leaf removal. Cluster temperature, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, crop yield, and growth yield data were collected throughout the growing season and then analyzed statistically. Early pruning, both with and without leaf removal, had negative effects on vine growth and grape quality compared to normal-pruned vines. Normal-pruned vines with leaf removal did not differ significantly from normal-pruned vines without leaf removal. Thus, normal pruning, whether with or without leaf removal, was superior to early-pruning treatments in the first year of this study.

Funding Support: A Specific Cooperative Agreement between Mississippi State University and USDA-ARS, supported by the Mississippi Agricultural, Forestry and Experiment Station and Mississippi State University Extension Service. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch project 1014723, MIS-149192.