1. hould be complete.

2. Bearing habit means relative position of a fruit with reference to its potential bud giving
rise to flower or inflorescence in the shoot.
3. This habit varies from plant to plant.

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES & ALLIED INDUSTRIES

Pruning
 It refers to removal of plant part like bud, shoot, root etc.. to strike a balance between
vegetative growth and production.
 This may also be done to adjust fruit load on the tree.
Objectives
1. To control plant size and form.
2. For plant performance like
3. Establishment of transplant where leaves/shoots are pruned to strike a balance between
root and shoot so that plants lose less water against restricted root system lost during
lifting of plants.
4. Improvement in productivity and quality by regulating the load of the crop and extent of
flowering.
5. For flower and fruit quality.
6. Elimination of non-productive vegetative growth like water sprouts, suckers, dead and
diseased wood.
7. In case of forest trees production of knot free timber.
Types of Pruning
 Basically there are three types of pruning with definite purposes.
1. Frame Pruning.
2. Maintenance Pruning.
3. Renewal Pruning.
Frame Pruning
 This pruning is done to provide shape and form to a plant in its formative years so that
tree develops strong framework and a shape for ease of operations.
 This process begins from nursery itself and continues up to fruiting stage.
 This is done continuously irrespective of the season.
Maintenance Pruning
 To maintain status- in production level and for uniform performance this pruning is done.
 In some plants like grapes, apple, pear, peach etc. (deciduous trees) it is an annual feature
and in others (evergreen like mango, sapota) it is rare confining to removal of water
sprouts and unproductive growth and opening of the tree.
Renewal Pruning
 This pruning is done in old trees like mangoes which shows decline .
 In this case severe pruning is required.
Factors to be Considered During Pruning
 In some of the tree species pruning as a regular feature in bearing trees is done to strike a
balance between vegetative growth and production so that farmers get sustained
production uniformly with optimum quality of produce.
To achieve this one should consider the following factors
 4. Time at which buds are differentiated in relation to blooming.
5. The age of the wood that produces the most abundant and highest quality of fruit buds.
6. In consideration of these factors our knowledge about bearing habit of the tree/plant
should be complete.
7. Bearing habit means relative position of a fruit with reference to its potential bud giving
rise to flower or inflorescence in the shoot.
8. This habit varies from plant to plant.
Kinds of Flower Bearing Shoots
 Depending on the position of fruit bud and the kind of flower bearing shoots it produces,
fruit trees can be classified into following eight groups.
 Basically there are two types of flowering: terminal and lateral and within each category
there is variation depending on flower shoot: pure or mix, terminal or lateral.
 Group-1: Fruit buds borne terminally and unfold to produce inflorescence without leaves.
E.g. mango.
 Group-2: Fruit buds borne terminally unfolding to produce leafy shoots hat terminate
into flower clusters e.g. apple and u nfolding to produce leafy shoot with flower cluster in
the leaf axils. E.g. Fig and Avocado.
 Group—3: Fruit buds borne terminally unfolding to produce leafy shoots with flowers or
flower cluster in the axil of leaf. E.g. Guava
 Group-4: Fruit buds borne laterally unfolding to produce flowers without leafy parts. E.g.
Sitrus, Coconut, Papaya and Coffee.
 Group-5: Fruit buds borne laterally unfolding to produce leafy shoot terminating in
flower clusters. E.g. Grapes.
 Group-6: Fruit buds borne laterally.
 Group-7: Fruit buds borne both terminally and laterally but unfolding to produce
inflorescence terminally. E.g. Walnut.
 Group-8: Fruit buds always borne adventitiously in old trunk or shoots. E.g. Jackfruit,
Cocos, Indian star goose berry.
Season of Pruning
 Generally pruning should be done in such a time that physiology of plant is disturbed to
the minimum and it should not interfere with the principal function of the plant.
 Fruit trees are pruned for fruiting when dormant i.e. late winter in case of temperate fruits
and soon after harvest in evergreen if required.
 Some times the trees are subjected to stress to induce dormancy before pruning as in
bahar reatment.
 Pruning for structural adjustment is done when plant is making growth i.e.
summer pruning.
 Generally pruning is regularly done in temperate fruit crops like apple, pear, peach, plum,
cherry, walnut, apricot, grape and subtropical crops like pomegranate, lemon, ber, guava.
 Evergreens like mango, sapota and litchi are rarely pruned except thinning of branches to
avoid overcrowding and removal of deadwood. However, now this concept is under
change.
Techniques in Pruning
Basically there are two techniques which could be utilized individually or in combination
depending on the need of the crop.
1. Heading back: It is cutting back of terminal portion of a branch to a bud. This
encourages spreading of growth, bushiness and compact plant. It is also called pinching.
2. Thinning out: It means complete removal of a branch to a lateral or main trunk. This
makes the plant open, large tree or plant. Thinning out of growing wood is also called
deshooting.
Table: Pruning time and techniques in fruit crops
Sl. Crop Time Technique
No.

1 Apple Late winter Light thinning coupled with heading back.

2 Peach Late winter (Dec-Jan) A combination of thinning out and heading back.

3 Plum Late winter (Dec-Jan) A combination of thinning out and heading back.

4 Grape

North Late winter (Jan) Heading back of cane.

South Summer pruning (Aug) Heading back to one or two buds which is almost
India thinning out.

Winter pruning (Sept- Heading back to cane.

5 Mango After harvest Thinning.

6 Phalsa

North Late winter early Heading back.

South Dec-Jan Heading back.

7 Ber Summer (April-May) Heading back and thinning out of old branches.
Other important considerations
1. Use good and sharp equipment.
2. Cut should be small, smooth and slanting so that water does not accumulate on cut end.
 3. Large wounds should be treated with antifungal chemicals like Bordeaux paste.
4. Shoots from rootstock should be removed regularly.\
5. Removal of deadwood, parasites (loranthus), epiphytes (ferns), climbing vines and nests
of bees, wasps, ants, termites should also become part of pruning.
Management of Plants
Besides pruning and training plants can also be managed through biological and chemical
methods:
1. Biological control
1. In this method following techniques could be utilized.
2. Use of rootstock: Use of dwarf, vigorous and semi vigorous rootstocks can alter plan
3. size. E.g. M IX for dwarfing of apple and trifoliate for dwarfing of citrus.
4. Phloem disruption (Ringing): can be utilized for regulating flowering and fruiting.
5. Hardening : By subjecting plants to low temperature, high heat or stress , the plant size
can be altered.
2. Chemical control
a. There are a number of plant growth regulators like inhibitors, retardants,
gibberellin, auxins and ethylene when applied to plant modify plant growth and
development and they can also be utilized for managing plant and its
performance.
b. Some of the useful responses are being mentioned below:
i. Rooting - Auxins enhance rooting. E.g. IBA, NAA Bolting, GA enhances while MH reduces
bolting.
ii. Modification of flower sex- Ethylene for the induction of femaleness and gibberellins for
maleness.
iii. Flower induction - Auxin and ethylene in pineapple, cultarr in mango have positive
role, gibberellins may help delaying flowering. Fruit set - Auxins and gibberellins in seedless
fruits have positive role.
iv. Control of fruit drop : Auxins check fruit drop
v. Thinning - Auxins in higher concentration and phenols can be utilized to thin crop.
vi. Regulation of ripening - Ethylene enhances whereas auxins, kinetin and gibberellins delay
ripening.
vii. Pinching - Methyl ester
viii. Disbudding - NAA
ix. Sprout control - NAA
x. Abscission Enhancement by ethylene and check by gibberllins and auxins.
xi. Storage disorder - pro-phenyl amine reduces storage disorders.
xii. All these techniques individually or in combination can be utilized for the management of tree
and its productive functions. However, they need to be utilized after proper testing for their
concentration, timings, and combinations.
Top Working
  It is a technique or method of rejuvenation where in the objective is to upgrade seedling
plantations of inferior varieties with superior commercial cultivars or hybrids suitable for
domestic or export market or the desired variety of the grower.
 The technique involves grafting with procured scions of desired variety on shoots
emerged on pruned branches by adopting softwood grafting during monsoon season (
Season of top working slightly varies from species as it also depends on availability of
good shoot and scions).
 The scion shoots and the emerged shoots should be of same thickness.
Advantages
1. Increase the tree productivity /orchard productivity.
2. Conversion of old and senile orchards into productive orchards.
3. Conversion of seedling or inferior variety plantaion /orchard into new orchard with
desirable variety or varieties through top working.
4. Possibility of grafting several varieties on the same plant.
5. Increasing the fruit set of orchard by grafting few shoots with polliniser varieties.
6. Additional income by selling the pruned wood during non bearing season or period.
Disadvantages
1. Chances of death of plant if not done properly or on severe pruning.
2. Need good management post pruning period.
3. Loss of crop for 2-3 years
4. Chances of pest and disease occurrence (stem borer, anthracnose etc.).
5. Needs skilled labour for thinning of shoots, removal of side shoots etc.
6. Top working technique can be successfully followed in crops like Mango, Sapota, Aonla,
Cashew, Guava, Tamarind, Jackfruit, etc.