Mike not trying to come at you like a dumb pothead(sorry if this is how your taking it.)but i have seen study after study done by univ. and other labs not just on cannabis but almost everything in general .Point i am trying to get at is one study will find one thing 2 weeks later another study finds complete different picture.look at asprin hell been studying that shit for 50 years still can't figure out if it kill you or save you.(see what i am getting at?) No one is always going to get the same results as someone else i understand this just a fact of life but the basic premise behind the results is what i am after.i have run large multi 1000 watt rooms and know you can't get the same results on smaller watt lights ,not talking about yield i'm talking about growth pattern and light diffusion.
no worries then, I just get tired of catching heat for posting the most legitimate studies I can find from credible sources, from somebody who once heard their uncle's friend talking about how when he was 16 and tried something it worked awesome. You're right though, stuff is constantly being contradicted and re-discovered. And medicine is no different, but it's sure as shit better than pre-aspirin or penicillin days in general. I get your point though. But to ignore the newly-validated info just because it may be contradicted later is to always live in the dark and never have learned anything TO contradict in the first place. Yes results will vary, but I was trying to get at the very thing you said, "the basic premise behind the results". The pattern is there, showing that there is a distinct relationship between the amount of foliage and the amount of possible fruit, ONLY if light is not a limiting factor (which it usually is for indoor growers).
So with that said, the conclusion to make for indoor grows is it depends on your specific environment. If you have 1000w on a single 3'x2' plant, why would you defoliate? But if you have 1000w in a 5x5 room stuffed full, obviously defoliation will help get every bit of light you can into lower areas. The question then becomes when, what parts, and how much. I think if you read and understand the links I posted, you should be able to at least have a bit more of a grasp on when/why/how to go about defoliation, if you choose to. Regardless of total gain/loss and the measured results, the study at least showed what effect timing and amount had in general. Interpretation and decisions based on the info are totally a personal choice, and I would likely do something different than you given the same facts and circumstances, that's what helps us continue improving and learning.