To defoliate/prune autoflower on day 42?

I wouldn't worry too much about where the light hits. The plant distributes resources from phloem based on apical dominance and not where the light hits the plant. It is far more important to ensure full absorption of what light you provide than to get light to hit budsites where chlorophyl levels are 1/100th of the leaf surface, i.e. far less photosynthesis taking place per sq inch and add to that fact how quickly light spreads out over an incremental distance from the light (inverse square law applies), and it's not even a hypothesis worth testing given existing knowledge. Avoid disease vectors. There's really not much other reason to remove leaves. CO2 is your limiting factor. Removing leaves reduces CO2 intake. Just one more reason why that bro-science is easily de-bunked. they also store nutrients and build necessary building blocks for growth. Leaves are paramount and not to be discarded whimsically or due to bro-science. Even if intense light is not directly hitting lower leaves, they are value-added to the plant. Plants 'want' to have a certain amount of leave relative to their health/environment. they know better than use when to shed leaves in most contexts... a re-vege warrants our input but regular growth does not.