Effect of two pruning methods on the agronomic performance of Sangiovese grapevines in high altitude region of Santa Catarina

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of two pruning methods (short pruning/spurred cordon and long pruning/Guyot) on the agronomic performance of Sangiovese vines grown in a high-altitude region of Santa
Catarina. The experiment was conducted during the 2018/2019 growing season in a vineyard located in São Joaquim (SC), at an altitude of 1,230 m. The experimental design was a randomized block design with four replicates and ten plants per plot. The following variables were evaluated: yield variables (yield per plant and total yield), cluster architecture (length, weight, and number of berries), and physicochemical parameters of the grapes. The results demonstrated a significant effect of the pruning method on production variables and cluster architecture, with best performance of the Guyot system, exhibiting higher values for cluster length (17.4 cm), cluster weight (187.0 g), number of berries (142), yield (3.6 kg plant-¹), and productivity (7.9 t ha-¹) compared to short pruning. No significant differences were observed for grape quality parameters, with similar values for soluble solids, total acidity, and pH among the treatments. It is concluded that Guyot pruning provides higher yield without compromising grape quality and is recommended for the Sangiovese
cultivar in high-altitude regions of Santa Catarina.