Background and Aims: The grapevine canopy microclimate, particularly temperature and relative humidity, is of crucial importance for predisposing grapes to lower or greater incidence of microbial infections. Because of global warming, the widely adopted leaf removal at veraison causes an increase in the temperature of the grape berry surface, leading to sunburn and deterioration of berry composition. Seeking a good alternative, a novel, preflowering leaf removal was studied and compared with post-flowering approaches using a multidisciplinary approach. Methods and Results: The effect of timing of leaf removal on the microbial ecology was studied in a Pinot Noir vineyard during two extremely different vintages. The effectiveness of leaf removal in suppressing Botrytis cinerea was compared with that of fungicide application. Bunch compactness and potential for cost and energy savings were calculated. The results showed that earlier leaf removal offers greater potential for successful control of microbial infections. Pre-flowering defoliation also led to lower bunch compactness (16–18%) accompanied by a substantial yield reduction (30% in 2010 and 24% in 2011). Conclusions: In addition to improved microbial control, the lower yield from pre-flowering defoliation can eliminate the need for bunch thinning and consequently reduces total energy consumption; thus, the technique can be considered to have good potential for more sustainable and cost-effective management of the vineyard, saving 27% on costs and as much as 46% on energy. Significance of the Study: The sustainability of a novel pre-flowering defoliation in Pinot Noir was evaluated by studying the microbial ecology of the vineyard and by calculating the potential savings from reduction in spraying and energy

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The effectiveness of outdoor education in comparison to classroom (indoor) education and the acceptance of biology apps by students is still largely unknown. To bridge this gap, a quasi-experiment was performed with secondary school students within each of the schools. Students used a digital dichotomous key to identify woody species. One school performed outdoor identification and the other indoor identification. The students completed a pre-test and post-test on botanical knowledge, and they completed questionnaires about their attitudes toward the key and their attitudes toward biology and learning. The identification of plants with the app proved to be successful in promoting learning regardless of the learning scenario. The comparable results of the indoor and outdoor tasks indicate that the app itself is effective for learning about plants. There were no significant gender-related differences in knowledge results and opinions about the usefulness of biological keys. The key was very well accepted by students and it has proven to be an effective, interesting, and convenient learning tool for identifying organisms that allows experiential learning and learning about biology during the identification process. Published in Nat. Sci. Educ. 46 (2017) doi:10.4195/nse2016.11.0032 Received 19 Nov. 2016 Accepted 12 Jan. 2017 Copyright © 2017 by the American Society of Agronomy 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved core ideas • The digital identification key proved to be successful in promoting learning, regardless of the learning scenario.• Students who gained better results on the tests also had a better opinion about the app and its usefulness for learning about organisms.• No major gender-related differences were found in attitudes toward the use of this app and in knowledge.