Measurement of Gas Exchange on Excised Grapevine Leaves Does Not Differ from In Situ Leaves, and Potentially Shortens Sampling Time

Abstract

Use of leaf gas exchange measurement enhances the characterization of growth, yield, physiology, and abiotic stress response in grapevines. Accuracy of a crop response model depends upon sample size, which is often limited due to the prolonged time needed to complete gas exchange measurement using currently available infra-red gas analyzer systems. In this experiment, we measured mid-day gas exchange of excised and in situ leaves from field grown wine grape (Vitis vinifera) cultivars. Depending upon cultivar, we found measuring gas exchange on excised leaves under a limited time window post excision gives similar accuracy in measurement of gas exchange parameters as in situ leaves. A measurement within a minute post leaf excision can give between 96.4 and 99.5% accuracy compared to pre-excision values. When compared to previous field data, we found the leaf excision technique reduced time between consecutive gas exchange measurements by about a third compared to in situ leaves (57.52 ± 0.39 s and 86.96 ± 0.41 s, for excised and in situ, respectively). Therefore, leaf excision may allow a 50% increase in experimental sampling size. This technique could solve the challenge of insufficient sample numbers, often reported by researchers worldwide while studying grapevine leaf gas exchange using portable gas exchange systems under field conditions.