Effect of Temperature on Flower Initiation in Grapes

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Abstract
Buds of 3 cultivars [Chasselas, Dore, Pinot Noir and White Riesling] of V. vinifera were marked when the internode above the bud was just beginning to elongate and the subtending leaf was 1 cm in diameter. In the following season the number of flowers on the inflorescences on the shoot from the primary bud was observed and correlated with the maximum temperatures on the day of marking and on the 9 days both before and after the marking day. On only 1 day was there a positive correlation, which occurred in the 3 cultivars when the subtending leaf of the bud was 1.5 cm in diameter and there were 3 nodes visible above that bud. Apparently, initiation of flowers in grapes is promoted by high temperatures and this response is precisely determined at a specific time, well before visible changes occur within the bud.

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