Let me start with 2 things I KNOW FOR A FACT.
-Leaves are light collectors. They enable photsynthesis. The more leaves, the more photosynthesis is possible.
-Fan leaves on marijuana plants store nutrients during veg to be used by the plant during flowering. As the nutrients in them are expended during flowering, they yellow, wither and die.
Based on those 2 FACTS, I opine that when you remove leaves you cut yield and potency.
Now, maybe if you dumped a whole bunch of fertilizer on the plant you may be able to compensate for the harm you're doing. But the nutrients stored in the fan leaves have been converted into the form the plant can use easier than from extra fertilizers used during flowering to replace the nuitrients that the fan leaves held.
I too have done side-by-side comparisons, with clones from the same donor, both indoors and out, and the unmolested plants yielded more bud by weight.
"it is a misconception buds need light its the leaves that need light so lower down leaves are shaded if lit from above thus smaller popcorn buds basically less developed due to no light penetration lower down plant.if you had supplementary side lighting smaller buds develop fine."
It's true that light does not need to shine directly on a bud for it to develop to it's fullest potential. Light needs to fall ON LEAVES.
Buds on lower branches are always smaller. That's not from lower light penetration; that's the nature of the plant; that's the way pot grows. How do I know this?
Because when I grow pot outdoors, the buds on the lower branches are always smaller. After millions of miles traveling through space, I don't think the sun loses much penetration in the last 6'.
Lower light penetration indoors happens; that contributes to smaller branches and fewer, much less potent buds on the lower branches.
Outside, with no lost penetration, the buds at the bottom branches can be just as potent as the buds on the upper branches (though, to me, not as smooth).