Leaf cover scoring was very similar to leaf curl. And I would imagine for the same reasons. Leaf cover plays a larger role in fruit quality. On one hand the additional cover protects the fruit from sun damage, but on the other, heavy cover can slow ripening and facilitate humid conditions fostering fungal infections and fruit rot. As with just about any trait, there is always a trade-off.

Leaf cover scores were taken August 4th as fruit was approaching ripe, and also done on a whole-plot visual assessment using a 1-5 scale. 1= Minimal cover (majority of fruit exposed), 3= 50% leaf cover, 5= Heavy cover (fruit not readily visible due to leaf cover).

Leaf Cover by Variety

Pearson’s chi square test gave a value of 32.69 (P=.25), and Fisher’s Exact Test (P=.11) also did not indicate significant differences between trial varieties.

Leaf Cover by Block

Pearson’s chi square returned a value of 2.4 (P=.66) and Fisher’s Exact Test (P=.69) again supported no significant differences.