Influence of level and type of pruning on yield and growth respnses of young Golden Queen peach trees

Abstract

Two-year-old Goldet1 Queen peach trees were pruned under five pruning systems ranging froin the conventional severe pruning, to very light pruning and yields and tree size were measured until the trees were seven years old. The lighter pruned trees cropped earlier and carried more fruit. Over the full period the lightest pruned trees carried 55.5 tonnes more than the heaviest pruned trees. After five years of differential pruning, all trees were approximately the same size and they were all then pruned and thinned at the same (very light) level for a further two years. There were no residual effects on yield or growth from the earlier treatments.