The effects of the interaction between the form of the canopy and the local environmental factors result in the microclimate that will determine some physiologic aspects of the grapevine, which could significantly affect the vegetative growth of the vine, the productivity of the vineyard, as well as the quality of the grape and wine. In this context, the present work was developed in the Station of Viticulture and Enology of Caldas EPAMIG, Caldas, MG. with the aim at evaluating the effect of the conduction system on the ecophysiological characteristics of the vine (Vitis labrusca L.) during the harvest of 2003, 2004, and 2005. 'Niágara Rosada' for table and 'Leaf of Fig' were the varieties used in the experiment for the wine production and 420-A was used as the rootstock. The experimental design was the DIC in factorial 4x2. The adopted conduction systems were simple string, trellis, "espaldeira", and "lira". The following variables were determined: exposed leaf surface; water potential; and gas exchange. It was verified that both the espaldeira system as well as the simple string provided the smallest leaf surface exposed in both varieties and the systems "lira" and trellis provided the largest values of (SFE). It was also verified that the simple string and trellis systems promoted the largest values of water potential for the two varieties, in the different phenological phases studied. In both varieties and phases a similar behavior was verified among the treatments in which the results of the photosynthetic assimilation rate of the leaves does not allow evidencing the effect of the conduction systems on the gas exchange of the studied plants.
Grape; gas exchange; water potential; Vitis labrusca L
