CONTAINMENT PRUNING IN MATURE HIGH INTENSITY APPLE ORCHARDS; EFFECTS OF TIME OF YEAR AND OF TREE FORM

Rigorous containment pruning became necessary by the 7th leaf in an apple orchard on vigorous stocks planted in a bed system in 1965 at 600 trees per acre (1483 t/ha). Now, at the 11th leaf after 4 years of severely restrictive pruning of various types, there is evidence that yields can be maintained even at this extreme vigour-density combination.

In another orchard, Red Delicious apple trees which fully occupied their allotted space, were spur pruned for 4 seasons at selected stages from dormant to early September in comparison with Crowe’s scaffold renewal system of pruning.
Results show a yield depression with minimum at or about the ½ in (12 mm) fruitlet stage.
In general, early pruning gave larger apples and mid-summer pruning gave more red colour.
The economic value of these changes was insufficient to overcome the detrimental effects in this cultivar.

Symposium on High Density Planting

A.D. Crowe

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1978.65.27