The basalt dust deposition on leaves does not influence the measurement of ecophysiological traits in grapevine

In many crops, including grapevine, the distribution of reflecting dust on foliage is a practice potentially leading to the mitigation of environmental stresses such as excessive light and limited water supply. This study aimed to evaluate whether the presence of dust on the leaves may affect PSII photochemical efficiency and gas-exchange measurements, thus leading to biased results. The study was conducted in a winery located at Benevento (Italy) on Vitis vinifera L. subsp. vinifera ‘Falanghina’ where the application of basalt dust was tested on the canopy to alleviate the effects of water stress. The results showed that there is no difference in PSII photochemistry or gas-exchange parameters measured in the presence of dust or after cleaning the leaves. Therefore, we conclude there is no need to remove dust from leaves before performing the ecophysiological investigations, thus fastening and simplifying the data collection.