PRODUCTIVITY OF FOUR SWEET CHERRY VARIETIES AS INFLUENCED BY SUMMER AND WINTER PRUNING

To compare pruning strategies and frequencies similar to those applied by cherry growers, various combinations of winter and summer pruning treatments were imposed on eight-year-old trees of four sweet cherry varieties.
For each variety, 5 different types of pruning strategies were imposed, combining winter pruning (made with 2 levels of pruning intensity) and summer pruning, in comparison to an unpruned control (test) treatment.
Productivity as a consequence of pruning treatment was recorded for 7 consecutive years on ‘Colafemmina’, ‘Denissens’, ‘Drogans’ and ‘Stark Gold’. A negative effect on productivity seems to be related to winter and severe pruning, mainly when these are associated with summer pruning.
On the contrary, the effect on fruit production is positive when summer pruning is applied alone, in alternate years.
However, among the tested cultivars, yield responses were highly variable.

V International Cherry Symposium

A. Roversi, V. Ughini, A. Monteforte

Prunus avium, processing, mechanical harvest, alternate year strategy, cumulative yield

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2008.795.80