Pruning

Definition: Pruning refers to the removal of plant parts like buds, shoots, or roots to strike a balance between vegetative growth and production. It is also done to adjust the fruit load on the tree.

Objectives of Pruning

1. To control plant size and form.
2. To improve plant performance:
   • Improvement in productivity and quality by regulating crop load and extent of flowering.
   • Enhancing flower and fruit quality.
   • Elimination of non-productive vegetative growth such as:
     • Water sprouts
     • Suckers
     • Dead and diseased wood
   • In forest trees, for the production of knot-free timber.

Types of Pruning

There are mainly three types of pruning:

• Frame Pruning:
  • Done during formative years to provide shape and strong framework.
  • Starts from the nursery stage and continues up to fruiting.
  • Performed continuously, regardless of season.

• Maintenance Pruning:
  • Helps maintain productivity and uniform plant performance.
  • In deciduous trees (e.g., grapes, apple, pear, peach), it’s an annual activity.
  • In evergreen trees (e.g., mango, sapota), it’s rare and limited to removing water sprouts, deadwood, and unproductive growth.

• Renewal Pruning:
  • Applied to old, declining trees (e.g., mango).
  • Involves severe pruning to rejuvenate the plant.

📌 Note: Training is often achieved through appropriate pruning techniques.

Season of Pruning

Pruning should be done with minimal disturbance to the plant’s physiology. It must not interfere with its main functions:

• Fruiting Trees:
  • Pruned during dormancy (late winter for temperate fruits).
  • In evergreens, prune soon after harvest if required.
  • Sometimes stress is induced to bring about dormancy before pruning (e.g., Bahar treatment).

• Structural Adjustments: Done during active growth period, i.e., summer pruning.

• Regular Pruning is common in:
  • Temperate fruits: Apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, walnut, apricot, grape.
  • Subtropical fruits: Pomegranate, lemon, ber, guava.

• Rare in evergreens like mango, sapota, and litchi, except for thinning and removal of deadwood.
  • However, current trends are shifting toward more regular pruning even in these crops.

Pruning Techniques

Two main techniques used (individually or in combination):

• Heading Back:
  • Cutting back terminal portion of a branch to a bud.
  • Encourages: Spreading of growth, Bushiness, Compact plant form
  • Also known as pinching.

• Thinning Out:
  • Complete removal of a branch back to a lateral branch or main trunk.
  • Promotes: Open structure, Growth of large-sized plants
  • Thinning of growing wood is also called deshooting.