Effect of Late-Season Defoliation on Vine Cold Tolerance and Chilling Requirement: An Introduction to Greenhouse Grape Production

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Grapevine Production and Genetic Improvement Department, Iranian Grape and Raisin Institute, Malayer University, Iran

2 Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

3 Department of Horticulture and Landscape Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Malayer University, Malayer

Abstract
The late-season source leaves play a decisive role in the grapevine's cold tolerance and chilling requirements. The objective was to evaluate the effect of manual late-season defoliation on the cold tolerance and chilling requirements of ‘Bidaneh-Sefid’ grapes. Treatments were applied on October 23 via manual leaf removal of the canes at four levels: 1) control (no leaf removal), 2) apical-node defoliation, 3) Basal-node defoliation, and 4) All-node defoliation of the canes. Based on the results, the lowest cold tolerance (highest electrolyte leakage, or EL) as assessed via the EL method was observed in the ‘all-node defoliation’ treatment, whereas the highest cold tolerance (lowest EL) was found in the control vines. The highest levels of glucose, fructose, sucrose, and raffinose were recorded in the control treatment, while the lowest levels of these soluble sugars were observed in the ‘all-node defoliation’ treatment. Similarly, the highest levels of putrescine, spermidine, and spermine were found in the control treatment. Abscisic acid content in the vines subjected to ‘all-node defoliation’ treatment was 28.5% lower than that of the control vines. The highest levels of gibberellin and auxin were observed in the control plants. In the defoliation treatments group, budbreak (time to 50% budburst) occurred 11 days earlier than in the control group. ‘All- node defoliation’ delayed the rate of budbreak. Overall, it was determined that late-season defoliation can reduce cold tolerance in vineyard vines, however, this horticultural practice can be employed to accelerate budbreak following a standard 400-hour chilling treatment for greenhouse grape production.

Keywords


Bates, L., Waldren, R.P., Teare, I.D. 1973. Rapid determination of free proline for water-stress studies. Plant and Soil, 39: 205-207. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00018060
Beheshti Rooy, Sh. S., Hosseini Salekdeh, Gh., Ghabooli, M., Gholami, M., Mohsenifard, E., Karimi R. 2017. Effect of Gradual and shock chilling tress on abscisic acid, soluble sugars and antioxidant enzymes changes in ‘Sultana’ Grapevine. Iranian Journal of Plant Physiology 7 (4): 2211-2224. 10.30495/ijpp.2017.537989
Bennett, J., Jarvis, P., Creasy, G.L., Trought, M.C. 2005. Influence of defoliation on overwintering carbohydrate reserves, return bloom, and yield of mature Chardonnay grapevines. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. 56: 386-393. 10.5344/ajev.2005.56.4.386
Campos, P.S., Quartin, V., Ramalho, J.C., Nunes, M.A. 2003. Electrolyte leakage and lipid degradation account for cold sensitivity in leaves of Coffea sp. Plants. Plant Physiology, 160: 283-292. 10.1078/0176-1617-00833
Comis, D.B., Tamayo, D.M., Alonso, J.M. 2001. Determination of monosacharids in
cider by reversed- phase Liqueid Chromatography. Analytica Chimica Acta 436: 173–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-2670(01)00889-3
Cragin, J., Serpe, M., Keller, M., Shellie, K. 2017. Dormancy and cold hardiness transitions in wine grape cultivars chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. 68:195–202. 0.5344/ajev.2016.16078
Dokoozlian, N.K. 1999. Chilling temperature and duration interact on the budbreak of ‘Perlette’ grapevine cuttings. Hortcultural Science. 34: 1054–1056. 10.21273/HORTSCI.34.6.1
Eom, S. H., Ahn, M. A., Kim, E., Lee, H. J., Lee, J. H., Wi, S. H., Hyun, T. K. 2022. Plant response to cold stress: Cold stress changes antioxidant metabolism in heading type kimchi cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. Pekinensis). Antioxidants11(4), 700. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11040700
Ershadi, A., Karimi, R., Naderi Mahdei, K., 2016. Freezing tolerance and its relationship with soluble carbohydrates, proline and water content in 12 grapevine cultivars. Acta physiologia plantarum. 38, 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-2021-6
Eshghi, S., Sarikhani, S., Shirdel, M., Davarzani, M., Hosseini, S. S. 2024. The significance of controlled environments in shaping the future of fruit cultivation. Greenhouse Plant Production Journal, 1(4): 11–35. https://10.61186/gppj.1.4.11
Ghasemi, M., Asil, M.H., Karimi, R. and Sahraroo, A. 2026. Effect of training systems on spring frost tolerance of ‘Thompson Seedless’ grapevine. BMC Plant Biology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-026-08550-6
Gill, S.S., Tuteja, N. 2010. Polyamines and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Plant Signal Behavior. 5, 26–33. https://doi.org/10.4161/psb.5.1.10291
Goodarzi, M. (2011) Determining the cooling and heating requirements of some commercial grape varieties". Master's thesis, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan. 75 pages.
Greven, M.M., Neal, S.M., Tustin, D.S., Boldingh, H., Bennett, J., Vasconcelos, M.C., 2016. Effect of postharvest defoliation on carbon and nitrogen resources of high-yielding Sauvignon blanc grapevines. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 67(3): 315-326. doi.10.5344/ajev.2016.15081
Jabbari, M., Soufi, H.R., Jabbari, M., Tunç, Y.  2025. Protected cultivation of fruit trees in greenhouses: advances, benefits and emerging challenges. Greenhouse Plant Production Journal 2(4): 45–64. https://doi.org/10.61882/gppj.2.4.45
Jafari, S.R., Arvin, S.M.J., Soufi, H.R. 2026. Interactive influence of silicon and salicylic acid on physiological and biochemical responses of cucumber seedlings to salt stress. Greenhouse Plant Production Journal, 3(1): 31-42. https://doi.org/10.66224/gppj.3.1.31Karimi, R. 2017. Potassium-induced freezing tolerance is associated with endogenous abscisic acid, polyamines and soluble sugars changes in grapevine. Scientia Horticulturae, 215: 184–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.12.018
Karimi, R. 2019. Spring frost tolerance increase in Sultana grapevine by early season application of calcium sulfate and zinc sulfate. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 42(19), pp.2666-2681. doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2019.1659343
Karimi, R. 2020. Cold Hardiness evaluation of 20 commercial table grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars. International Journal of Fruit Science, 20(3): 433-450. https://doi.org/10.1080/15538362.2019.1651242
Karimi, R., Ershadi, A. 2015. Role of exogenous abscisic acid in adapting of ‘Sultana’ grapevine to low temperature stress. Acta Physiologia Plantarum, 37(8): 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-015-1902-z
Karimi, R., Ershadi, A., Rezaei Nejad, A., Khanizadeh, S. 2016. Abscisic acid alleviates the deleterious effects of cold stress on ‘Sultana’ grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) plants by improving the anti-oxidant activity and photosynthetic capacity of leaves. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 91(4): 386-395. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2016.1162027
Kaya, O., 2020. Defoliation alleviates cold-induced oxidative damage in dormant buds of grapevine by up-regulating soluble carbohydrates and decreasing ROS. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum, 42(7):106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11738-020-03093-1
Kazemi, H., Roosta, H.R. 2025. Global challenges in blueberry cultivation: emphasis on mineral nutrition and substrate management—A review. Journal of Greenhouse Plant Production, 2(2): 21– 45. https://doi.org/10.61882/gppj.2.2.21Keller, M. 2015. The Science of Grapevines: Anatomy and Physiology. 2nd ed. Academic Press, Waltham, 400 p.
Khalil -Ur –Rehman, M., Wang, W., Xu, Y-S., Haider, M.S., Li, C-X., Tao, J –M., 2017. Comparative study on reagents involved in grape bud break and their effects on different metabolites and related gene expression during winter. Frontiers in Plant Science. 8: 1340. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01340
Li, Z., Zhao, X., Sandhu, A.K., Gu, L. 2010. Effects of exogenous abscisic acid on yield, antioxidant capacities, and phytochemical contents of greenhouse grown lettuces. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 58: 6503-6509. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01340
Saberi, A., Karimi, R. 2019. The effect of combined application of volck oil, calcium, potassium on budburst and cold tolerance physiology of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). Journal of Plant Environmental Physiology, 14(55): 26-38. https://sid.ir/paper/185700/en
Sarikhani, H., Delgarm, H., Mansouri, S. 2020. Physiological impacts of early defoliation on the cold hardiness of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) 'Sultana'. Vitis, 59(4):141. DOI: 10.5073/vitis.2020.59.141-147
Sarikhani, H., Haghi, H., Ershadi, A., Esna-Ashari, M., Pouya, M. 2014. Foliar application of potassium sulphate enhances the cold-hardiness of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.). The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology, 89(2): 141-146. https://doi.org/10.1080/14620316.2014.11513060
Shen, W., Nada, K., Tachibana, S., 2000. Involvement of polyamines in the chilling tolerance of cucumber cultivars. Plant Physiology 124: 431–439. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.124.1.431
Shin, K.S., Chakrabarty, D., Paek, K.Y. 2002. Sprouting rate, change of carbohydrate contents and related enzymes during cold treatment of lily bulblets regenerated in vitro. Scientia Horticulturae. 96: 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4238(02)00087-0
Sivilotti, P., Herrera J.C., Lisjak, K., Baša Česnik, H., Sabbatini, P., Peter lunger, E. Castellarin, S.D. 2016. Impact of leaf removal, applied before and after flowering, on anthocyanin, tannin, and methoxypyr azine concentrations in ‘Merlot’ (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes and wines. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 64:4487-4496. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b01013
Smith, J.P., Holzapfel, B.P. 2009. Cumulative responses of Semillon grapevines to late season perturbation of carbohydrate reserve status. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 60: 461–470. DOI: 10.5344/ajev.2009.60.4.461
Totonchi, E., Sarikhani, H., Rostami, M., Abdoli, M., Karimi, R. 2026. greenhouse evaluation of nitric oxide-mediated responses of yaghooti grapevine under low-temperature stress. Greenhouse Plant Production Journal3(3), 77-88. https://doi.org/10.66224/gppj.3.3.77
Walter, H., Geuns, J. 1987. High speed HPLC analysis of polyamines in plant tissues. Plant Physiology. 83, 23 2-234. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.83.2.232
Wang, H.B., Gao, D.S., Wang, X.D., Li, J. 2006. Role of gibberellin and abscisic acid in peach bud endodormancy induction. Journal of Fruit Sciences. 23: 599–601. [Google Scholar]
Yilmaz, T., Alahakoon, D., Fennell, A. 2021. Freezing tolerance and chilling fulfillment differences in cold climate grape cultivars. Horticulturae, 7: 4. https://  doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7010004
Zaeri-Behrooz, M., Karimi, R., Khadivi, A. and Tunç, Y. 2026. Phosphorus and cold stress: physiological and biochemical assessment in two grape (Vitis vinifera L.) cultivars. Biological Research, 59(1): p.24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40659-026-00683-0

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 December 2026

  • Receive Date 22 August 2026
  • Revise Date 17 September 2026
  • Accept Date 30 October 2026
  • First Publish Date 30 October 2026
  • Publish Date 30 December 2026