Time of pruning affects fruit abscission, stem carbohydrates and yield of macadamia
Lisa McFadyen A C , David Robertson A , Margaret Sedgley B , Paul Kristiansen B and Trevor Olesen A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A NSW Department of Primary Industries, 1243 Bruxner Highway, Wollongbar, NSW 2477, Australia.
B The University of New England, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: lisa.mcfadyen@dpi.nsw.gov.au
Functional Plant Biology 39(6) 481-492 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP11254
Submitted: 11 November 2011 Accepted: 9 April 2012 Published: 28 May 2012
Abstract
Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia Maiden and Betche, M. tetraphylla Johnson and hybrids) orchards in Australia are typically hedged around anthesis (September). Such hedging reduces yields, largely through competition for carbohydrates between early fruit set and the post-pruning vegetative flush, but also through a reduction in photosynthetic capacity caused by the loss of canopy. We examined whether hedging at other times might mitigate yield losses. Hedging time was found to affect yields across four cultivars: ‘A4’, ‘A38’, ‘344’ and ‘816’. Yield losses were lower for trees hedged in November–December than for trees hedged in September. Yields for trees hedged in June were higher than for trees hedged in September in one experiment, but were similar in a second experiment. Yield losses for September and October hedging were similar. Hedging time changed the pattern of fluctuations in stem water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC). WSC declined shortly after hedging in September, October or November, and the declines preceded increases in fruit abscission relative to unpruned control trees. The increase in fruit abscission was less pronounced for the trees hedged in November, consistent with the idea that fruit become less sensitive to carbon limitation as they mature.
Additional keywords: canopy management, fruit set, hedging, shoot growth.
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