10/6/2021

Principle of Horticulture
Course code: HRT 111, Credit hours: 3 (2+1)

PC: Google

Himal Bhusal, M.Sc. Horticulture

Email: [email protected] 9849708265

❑Course outline
Unit 1. Introduction
Unit 2. Climate in horticultural crop production
Unit 3. Soil in relation to horticultural crops
Unit 4. Establishment of horticultural enterprises
Unit 5. Training and pruning
Unit 6. Flowering and fruiting
Unit 7. Plant growth regulators
Unit 8. Plant growth and development
Unit 9. High-tech horticulture
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Unit 10. Principles and practices of environmentally controlled production
Course contain:

• Objectives of training and pruning

• Principles and method of training and pruning of fruit trees and
ornamental plants
• Rejuvenation of old orchards

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 ❑Training and Pruning (तालिम तथा काटछाट)
• Basic principles and objectives of training and pruning
• Various systems/methods employed and their special application
 ❑Background

❖The natural forms of plants vary in relation to the extent of their apical
dominance.

❖If the plant is allowed to grow uncontrolled the tree will be

tall and bushy due to constant production or weak interlaced
shoots, which do not bear flowers and fruit but harbor many
insects and diseases.

❖Hence, there is need of such operations which can overcome such

problem. Pruning and training are the most important operations in
some important fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants

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 ❑Training and pruning

Pruning:
• Pruning refers to the judicious removal of plant parts like roots,
leaves, stem, flower and fruit with certain objectives depending upon
the pruner.
• Pruning is the major operation for Training i.e. to give shape or to
make framework, pruning operation is prerequisite.

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 ❑Method of pruning

1. Heading back
• Approximately one third to one half of terminal end is
removed. Heading bud destroys the apical dominance by
which the growth of lateral buds is encouraged.
• Thus heading back induces bushy, compact, dense
or much branched type of growth.
• Shearing of hedge plants is the best example of
heading back.

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 ❑Cont.
2.Thinning out
•In this method, longer growth of terminal branches is encouraged
by removing laterals.

• Thinning of weakly growing branches results in greater height

and open up the plant for better light penetration and aeration.

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 ❑Cont.
3. Pinching or disbudding
• When heading back is done in current season growth in herbaceous
stem it is called pinching or pinching back.
• Disbudding is the removing of bud and generally practiced in budding
and grafting operation to remove undesirable bud.
• It is mainly done in ornamental plant like rose, chrysanthemum and
vegetables like tomato and cucurbits.

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 ❑General rules of pruning

•Growth habit of plant, objectives of the pruning and method of

pruning should be considered during or before pruning.

•Deciduous plants are generally pruned during dormant season or before

growth starts i.e. winter to early spring. However they may be pruned
both in winter and summer with the objective of dwarfing.

•The pruning of evergreen plants should be restricted to the removal of

dead, drying, interlocking and severely infested branches. This should
be generally done during slow growth period or after the flowering or
fruiting season.
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 ❑General rules of pruning

•Pruning for young trees- to develop strong and open framework light
pruning is required while for old tress- heavy pruning is required to
rejuvenate plants.

• There is chances of fungal growth in cut portion of plants. So, there

should be application of fungicide like Bordeaux mixture in the cut
areas

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❑Cont.

Pruning of mature fruit trees

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 ❑ Training and pruning:

• Training:
•It refers to the manipulation of plant structure as desired.
• The direction and form of plant growth can be controlled by using
chemical substances or by physical technique.
•Physical technique involves bending, twisting, trellising or pruning.
• Training - When the plant is tied, fastened, staked or supported over a trellis or
pergola in a certain fashion or some of its parts pruned with the view to giving
the plants a framework , the operation is called ‘training’.

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 ❑Cont.

• Example:
•Bonsai and Topiary are the example of training.
• In temperate fruit it is adopted for the objective of admit more light
and easier for cultural operations.

Bonsai: A potted plant (such as a tree) dwarfed (as by pruning) and

trained to an artistic shape also : the art of growing such a plant.
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 ❑Objectives of training

• To admit more light and air to the center of the tree to expose
maximum leaf surface to the sun.
•To direct the growth of tree so that various cultural operations such as
spraying, harvesting can be done effectively at lower cost.
•To protect the tree from sun burn and damage
• To secure a balanced distribution of fruit bearing parts on the main
limbs of the trees.

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 ❑Consideration during training:
1. Height of the head
• The distance from the ground level at which main or scaffold limb
branch from the trunk is known as ‘Height of the head’. This has to be
decided.
• The height between 0.7-0.9 m- Low headed and above 1.2 or more –
high headed.
• The low headed has certain disadvantage that it made difficult for
various cultural operations and high headed are more prone to
sunburn in during summer season.

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 ❑Consideration during training:
2. Number of scaffold limbs
• Main branches or scaffold limbs allowed while training is varies from
2-15 or even more but 5-8 numbers are more desirable.

3. Distribution of scaffold limbs

•Generally 45-60 cm from one limbs to another is recommended
• Its crotch angle should be 45-90ºare the strongest because cambium
around crotch is continuous without phloem inclusion.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
• 1. Training of fruit tree:
a.Central leader system
• The trunk is encouraged to form a central axis with a series of well
spaced subordinate lateral branches.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
• 1. Training of fruit tree:
a. Central leader system – Cont.
• Narrow spaced and weak crotch branches are removed by pruning. At
developed stage the tree looks like a pyramid.
• Trees are physically strong however various horticultural operations
like pruning, spraying, harvesting etc. are difficult to carry out.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
b. Open center or vase system
• The main branch is headed back about 40-50 cm above the ground
level to facilitate the development of well spaced coordinate lateral
branches.
• Heading back of the main axis removes the apical dominance and the
lateral branches are encouraged to develop.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
b. Open center or vase system – Cont.
•As a result tree becomes spreading type with central portion open.
• Sufficient light is available for the development of fruits in inner
branches.
•This method is generally practiced in peaches and other stone fruit.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
c. Modified leader system
• This is the intermediate of central leader and open central type. The
plant is allowed to grow for 4-5 years.
• As the central leader attains a height of 1.8-2.5 m, it is slightly cut
back by retaining about 1.2-1.5 m above the ground level and not
allowed to become dominant.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
c. Modified leader system – Cont.
• Both the central leader and lateral are allowed to develop in
proportionate way as the result the tree assumes more or less rounded
shape with open top.
• Well spaced limbs are developing sufficiently close to the ground
level. This method is most desirable type since; it has benefits of both
central leader and open central type.
•Peach and apricot trees are commonly trained by this method.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
2.Training of vine fruits:
a. Head system
❖In this system, the grapevines are prepared like a dwarf bush.
❖Initially the vine is allowed to grow in a single stem with a supporting
stake. After attaining a height of 1.2 meters, it is cut back to encourage
side shoot.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
2.Training of vine fruits:
a. Head system – cont.
❖Generally four laterals are allowed having two arm in each side. Vine
trained in this system looks like a dwarf bush and may not need at
lateral stage.
❖The planting distance can be reduced to 1.8 X 2.4 meters. Cross
cultivation is possible. Cultural operations becomes easy.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
• b. Kniffin system
❖Mr. William Kniffin originally developed this system in 1950.
❖After attaining certain height the vines are trained in horizontal
trellises which are fixed at different height.
❖Generally two to three trellis of wires are strong support
by vertical post.
❖Two arms in opposite direction are allowed to develop in
trellis. Thus, 4 canes or 6 canes are allowed to develop in
this system.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
• b. Kniffin system – Cont…
❖In modified kniffin system (Geneva double curtain system) two
wires are stretched horizontally. The canes are developed in the same
height.
❖This overcomes the demerits of original kniffin system

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 ❑Different methods of training:
• c. Bower system
❖This system is also known as Arbour or Pergola.
❖In this system, the grapevines are spread over a criss-cross network of
wires usually 2.1-2.4 meters above the ground.

❖This method provides protection to the fruit crop and

results in higher yield.
❖However pruning and training operation become
difficult.

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 ❑Different methods of training:
3. Training of herbaceous crop
❖Commercial herbaceous plants like tomatoes, cucumber, beans and
gourds need training in stakes or trellises.
❖Training of such crop permits close setting of plants as well as
development of fruit above the ground.

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Thank You

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