Abstract
Pruning is the cutting away of vegetation from plants for horticultural purposes. Pruning is known to reduce apple tree size, increase fruit size and quality, and decrease yield. Methods for studying the effects of varying degrees of severity of pruning on a whole-tree basis have used qualitative descriptions of treatments rather than repeatable whole-tree quantitative metrics. In this study, we introduce a pruning severity index calculated from the sum of the cross-sectional area of all branches on a tree at 2.5 cm from their union to the central leader divided by the cross-sectional area of its central leader at 30 cm from the graft union. This limb to trunk ratio (LTR) was then modified by successively removing the largest branches of ‘Buckeye Gala’ to achieve six severity levels ranging from LTR 0.5 to LTR 1.75, with lower values representing more extreme pruning with less whole-tree limb area relative to trunk area. Pruning treatments were applied for three consecutive years and tree growth and cropping responses were observed for the first 2 years. With increasing pruning severity the following characteristics increased after seasonal growth: number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length, number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set, fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit, soluble solids, and titratable acidity. The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio. The LTR provides a measurable way to define and create different levels of pruning severity and achieve consistent outcomes. This allows a greater degree of accuracy and precision to dormant pruning of tall spindle apple trees. The use of the LTR to establish the level of pruning severity allows the orchard manager to set crop load potential through regulation of the canopy bearing surface. This metric is also a necessary step in the development of autonomous pruning systems.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
The limb-to-trunk ratio defined six pruning severity levels from 0.5 to 1.75.
- Taxon
- apple
Malus domesticat0 - Outcome
- severity levelse0
- Value
- LTR 0.5 to LTR 1.75e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“six severity levels ranging from LTR 0.5 to LTR 1.75”
t0“Apple Plantings”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity increased number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Buckeye Gala’t1
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severitye0
- Outcome
- number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot lengthe0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With increasing pruning severity the following characteristics increased after seasonal growth: number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length, number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set, fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit, soluble solids, and titratable acidity”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“‘Buckeye Gala’”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity increased number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Buckeye Gala’t1
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severitye0
- Outcome
- number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit sete0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With increasing pruning severity the following characteristics increased after seasonal growth: number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length, number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set, fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit, soluble solids, and titratable acidity”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“‘Buckeye Gala’”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity increased fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Buckeye Gala’t1
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severitye0
- Outcome
- fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruite0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With increasing pruning severity the following characteristics increased after seasonal growth: number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length, number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set, fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit, soluble solids, and titratable acidity”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“‘Buckeye Gala’”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity increased soluble solids, and titratable acidity.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Material
- ‘Buckeye Gala’t1
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severitye0
- Outcome
- soluble solids, and titratable aciditye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“With increasing pruning severity the following characteristics increased after seasonal growth: number of renewal limbs, number of shoots, shoot length, number of shoot leaves, shoot leaf area, final fruit set, fruit size, yield of large fruit, crop value from large fruit, soluble solids, and titratable acidity”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“‘Buckeye Gala’”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity decreased limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severityt1
- Outcome
- limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurse0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“increasing pruning severity”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity decreased number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severityt1
- Outcome
- number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf areae0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“increasing pruning severity”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity decreased fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severityt1
- Outcome
- fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiencye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“increasing pruning severity”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity decreased crop value from small fruit, overall crop value.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severityt1
- Outcome
- crop value from small fruit, overall crop valuee0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“increasing pruning severity”
Claim · model-written summary
Increasing pruning severity decreased sugar:acid ratio.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Treatment
- increasing pruning severityt1
- Outcome
- sugar:acid ratioe0
- Direction
- decreasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The following characteristics decreased: limb age, number of secondary limbs, number of spurs, number of spur leaves, spur leaf area, the ratio of spur leaf area to shoot leaf area, fruit count per tree, yield, yield efficiency, crop value from small fruit, overall crop value, and sugar:acid ratio”
t0“Apple Plantings”
t1“increasing pruning severity”
Claim · model-written summary
LTR provides a measurable definition of pruning severity with consistent outcomes.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- consistent outcomese0
- Value
- different levels of pruning severitye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The LTR provides a measurable way to define and create different levels of pruning severity and achieve consistent outcomes”
t0“Apple Plantings”
Claim · model-written summary
LTR allows orchard managers to set crop load potential by regulating canopy bearing surface.
- Taxon
- appleMalus domesticat0
- Outcome
- set crop load potentiale0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“allows the orchard manager to set crop load potential through regulation of the canopy bearing surface”
t0“Apple Plantings”
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See all 147 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.