EFFECTS OF SHOOT TRIMMING AND ETHEPHON TREATMENTS ON VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘USLU’ GRAPEVINE

Abstract

Mediterranean, depending on the ecological conditions, is an important region in terms of earliness and grape cultivation in Turkey. Vegetative growth control is deemed to be necessary in grape cultivars that exhibit strong growth. This experiment was carried out for grapevines of Uslu grafted onto 1103 P rootstock at a spacing of 2 m × 3 m to analyze the influence of ethephon and shoot trimming on vine growth characteristics. Shoot trimming (control and 10 nodes) and ethephon (0, 500, 750 ppm) applications were carried out on vinestocks approximately one week before blooming. Summer shoot length (cm), node number of summer shoot (n), internode length of summer shoot (cm), axillary bud burst percentage (%), number of axillary shoot (n), mean length of axillary shoot (cm), total length of axillary shoot (cm), cane diameter (mm), pith diameter (mm), cane/pith, pruning wood weight (g) were determined. According to results, foliar treatments with ethephon applied in shoots growth period (before flowering) exhibited a strong inhibitory effect on shoot growth of cv. Uslu. Ethephon (500 ppm and 750 ppm) application reduced summer shoot length, node number and internode length. Increasing ethephon doses reduced active bud burst percentage, shoot length and pruning wood weight. The number of axillary shoots decreased by 49.4% in
trimmed plants in comparison with the control. It was determined that mean length of axillary shoot was higher in trimmed plants, while total length of axillary shoot and pruning wood weights of grapevines were similar in both trimmed and control
plants.