Grapevine leaf size influences vine canopy temperature

Premise Grapevine leaves have diverse shapes and sizes. Their shape and size is known to be influenced by many factors including genetics, vine phytosanitary status, environment, leaf and vine age, and node position on the shoot. In order to determine the importance of grapevine leaf shape and size to canopy temperature, we examined the relationship in five seedling populations grown in a vineyard in California, USA. Methods All of the populations had one parent with compound leaves of the Vitis piasezkii type and each population had a different second parent with non-compound leaves. In previous work, we measured leaf shape and size using 21 homologous landmarks. Here, we paired these morphology data with measurements taken using an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of the canopy. By recording time of sampling and canopy temperature, we were able to determine which vines were cooler or hotter than expected, using a linear model. Results We established a relationship between leaf size and canopy temperature: vines with larger leaves were cooler than expected. In contrast, leaf shape was not strongly correlated with variation in temperature. Conclusions Ultimately, these findings indicate that vines with larger leaves may contribute to the reduction of overall vine canopy temperature, but further work is needed to determine if this is due to variation in leaf size, differences in the openness of the canopy, or other related traits.