EFFECT OF TIME AND SEVERITY OF SUMMER PRUNING ON THE VINE CHARACTERISTICS, FRUIT YIELD AND QUALITY OF KIWIFRUIT

The effects of timing and severity of summer pruning in 22-year-old vines of ‘Allison’ kiwifruit, trained on a T-bar trellis system, was examined.
There were four levels and three dates of summer pruning.
Summer pruning was done by heading back of shoots to different levels viz; above 4 nodes level, 6 nodes level and pinching of terminal portion of the bearing shoot.
All summer pruning treatments were performed on 3 dates, at complete petal fall,15 days after petal fall and 30 days after petal fall.
Summer pruning by pinching the terminal part of the bearing shoots at complete petal fall stage resulted in higher yields with higher proportions of A and B grade fruit.
This pruning treatment exhibited highest fruit weight, fruit size, photosynthetic rate, sugars, total soluble solids and titratable acidity.
Economic analysis of the different pruning treatments revealed that pinching at petal fall resulted in highest gross returns (Rs)and net benefit (Rs) over control.

VII International Symposium on Kiwifruit

V.S. Rana, J. Basar, A.S. Rehalia

fruit size, total soluble solids, total sugars, photosynthesis

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.913.53