Agronomic performance of 'Sauvignon Blanc' grapevine with different bud loads, in an altitude region of Brazil

- The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of an increased bud load on the agronomic performance of 'Sauvignon Blanc' grapevine cultivated in an altitude region of the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The experiment was carried out during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 vintages, in a commercial vineyard, located in the municipality of Sao Joaquim. The treatments consisted of four levels of bud load: 15, 30, 50, and 75 buds per plant. Productive and vegetative variables, cluster architecture, and technological maturation were evaluated. Data were subjected to the analysis of variance and compared by Tukey's test, at 5% probability. In both evaluated vintages, leaf area per plant increased with the increase in bud load. Although the load of 75 buds per plant resulted in a greater leaf area, it presented the most adequate vegetative-productive balance indices. The increase in the bud load of 'Sauvignon Blanc' results in an increased yield, improving vegetative-productive balance and maintaining similar cluster architecture and technological maturation levels between the different bud loads per plant.