I’m saying I’ve read a lot of grow journals and studies, and that’s nothing that I’ve come across is horticulture either, it’s not rooted in science.

Sorry, skipped this bit.

Do a bit of your own science? Grow say, some autoflower in the side if you have the room and keep radically defoliating it. Not compeltely bald, but a lot. See how the buds turn out. If you want a control, use same seed on another similar pot next to it, but without any defoliation.

And also, yes, it’s definitely based in actual science as well.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/defoliation

The defoliation stress encountered by a forage plant depends on (a) intensity of defoliation; (b) the type of tissue removed, whether meristematic and physiologic age; © frequency of defoliation, whether in discrete well-spaced events or continuous removal; (d) timing of defoliation; and (e) whether stresses or competition have occurred before, during, or after the defoliation (Richards, 1993). Removal of young, photosynthetically active leaves affects the plant more, in terms of photosynthesis, than loss of older, shaded leaves of a lower photosynthetic capacity (Gold and Caldwell, 1989a,b, 1990).

Root growth stops quickly after defoliation and fine roots may die (Luo et al., 1995; Jarvis and MacDuff, 1989). Respiration and nutrient uptake also decline quickly after defoliation. These responses, however, may be tempered by the age of the plant and availability of resources. Root growth is also affected by the frequency and severity of defoliation. Alcordo et al. (1991) clipped stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis Vanderyst var. nlemfuensis) at several plant and stubble height combinations and observed that root mass accumulation was reduced by up to 97% with severe defoliation compared with an unclipped control.

These immediate responses to defoliation are followed by the long-term process of recovering a positive C balance, metabolic adjustment of the remaining organs, and rebuilding the photosynthetic area (Richards, 1993)

Those are pretty much exactly the reasons I prune only once and then I only take branches / older leaves and then I give the plant roughly a week to recuperate before putting it into flowering (a source of stress)

It’s too long to paste in total but an interesting read well worth it, despite not being strictly about cannabis but defoliation in plants in general.