pruning · Yield · Vaccinium

Results differ18 papers: 12 positive, 6 negative or no effect · 1 pair of papers confirmed to differ

30 claims from these papers; 1 citation between them.

Papers whose results differ, checked claim by claim 1

1 pair of papers on this question report results that differ: an effect in one paper, the opposite effect or no effect in the other. Two model reviewers reading both claims accepted each pair.

Severity and Timing of Mechanical Rejuvenation Pruning Affects Vegetative and Reproductive Growth of Blueberry (1996)
no changeSharpblue yield did not differ between 90-cm pruning and no pruning.
Pruning during June promoting blueberry branches growth and Flower Buds formation (2021)
increaseThe authors report increased fruit yield following top pruning.
The records name no dose, test system or situation that separates the two claims.Compare the two papers →

How these papers cite each other

1 citation between these papers: 0 on the same side, 1 across the two sides.

Positive result
Negative result or no effect
Citation, pointing to the cited paper
Citation across the two sides
Larger circle: more citations overall

Years run left to right. Citations come from the papers’ OpenAlex reference lists. Hover a paper to bring forward its citations; click it to open the paper.

Papers reporting a positive result 12

OUTLOOK FOR MECHANIZATION IN SMALL FRUIT CROPS · 1990
- positive
  Mechanical pruning can reduce blueberry production costs by up to 80%.
OUTLOOK FOR MECHANIZATION IN SMALL FRUIT CROPS · 1990
- positive
  Mechanical pruning of blueberries can reduce costs by up to 80%.
916 PB 188 WEED THRESHOLDS BY MECHANICAL AND CHEMICAL CONTROLS IN WILD BLUEBERRIES · 1994
- positive
  Mowing increased blueberry yields more effectively than no treatment up to 50% weed cover.
  compared with not treating
- positive
  Mowing increased blueberry yields more effectively than wiping up to 50% weed cover.
  compared with wiping
TB198: Economic Analysis of Organic Pest Management Strategies for Lowbush Blueberries Using Enterprise Budgeting · 2008
- positive
  Adding 1,000 lbs of sulfur before the first prune/harvest cycle significantly increased blueberry yields over two cycles compared with no sulfur.
  compared with no addition of sulfur
Effects of Timing and Intensity of Summer Pruning on Reproductive Traits of Two Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars · 2015
- positive
  Jewel yield increased by 65% in year three with 30% pruning relative to nonpruned plants.
  compared with nonpruned control
- positive
  Jewel yield increased by 48% in year two with 30% pruning relative to nonpruned plants.
  compared with nonpruned control
- no effect
  Jewel yield was unaffected by pruning in the first year.
  compared with nonpruned plants
PRODUCTION, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL QUALITY AND BIOATIVE COMPOUNDS OF MISTY BLUEBERRY FRUIT UNDER DIFFERENT PRUNING INTENSITIES · 2017
- positive
  Drastic pruning gave higher production and fruit size.
cited by 1 paper here
PRODUCTION, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL QUALITY AND BIOATIVE COMPOUNDS OF MISTY BLUEBERRY FRUIT UNDER DIFFERENT PRUNING INTENSITIES · 2017
- positive
  Drastic pruning gave higher average production and fruit size in blueberry plants of the cultivar Misty.
Blueberry thinning improved fruit quality and put forward maturation · 2018
- positive
  Fruit thinning significantly improved the maturity rate per panicle of blueberry.
Pruning during June promoting blueberry branches growth and Flower Buds formation · 2021
- positive
  Top pruning significantly increased florets per panicle.
- positive
  The authors report increased fruit yield following top pruning.
Production and quality of ‘Delite’ blueberry fruit under different pruning times · 2024
- positive
  No summer pruning gave the highest production per plant.
- positive
  Early and late winter pruning increased fruit weight.
Pruning type and timing affect agronomic performance of blueberry plants grown in central Brazil · 2025
- positive
  Blueberry plants pruned in winter or spring had higher fruit yields.
- positive
  In winter, severe pruning of blueberry plants gave higher fruit yields than regular pruning.
  compared with regular pruning
- negative
  Summer and autumn pruning of blueberry plants reduced fruit yield, but extends the production window of the crop in Brazil.
Labor Costs and Yield Recovery after Renovation and Cane Thinning in ‘Mini Blues’ Highbush Blueberry · 2025
- positive
  The highest post-renovation and cumulative economic returns came from Speed pruning, followed by unpruned plants with renovation and no cane thinning.
  compared with unpruned with renovation and no cane thinning
- negative
  Cane thinning in winter 2022-23 reduced yield compared with all other treatments in 2023.
  compared with all other treatments

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 6

Severity and Timing of Mechanical Rejuvenation Pruning Affects Vegetative and Reproductive Growth of Blueberry · 1996
- no effect
  Sharpblue yield did not differ between 90-cm pruning and no pruning.
  compared with nonpruned control
- no effect
  Earliest Sharpblue pruning did not change yield relative to the control.
  compared with the control
Early and mid-fall defoliation reduces flower bud number and yield of southern highbush blueberry. · 2003
- negative
  Early fall defoliation reduced Misty fruit yield with fewer flower buds.
  compared with control shoots
- negative
  Misty had fewer fruit set per flower bud after early fall defoliation.
  compared with control shoots
- negative
  Early fall defoliation reduced Sharpblue fruit yield through fewer fruit set per flower bud.
  compared with control shoots
- negative
  September and October defoliation reduced Star yields.
  compared with control shoots
Research on High Grafting Technique of Blueberries · 2020
- no effect
  Grafting pruned branches did not affect current-year fruit yield.
Identification and Characterization of Sphaerulina vaccinii sp. nov. as the Cause of Leaf Spot and Stem Canker in Lowbush Blueberry and Its Epidemiology · 2021
- negative
  Manual defoliation before harvest showed that premature disease defoliation can substantially affect yield.
Effect of load regulation by winter pruning on fruit quality attributes of Duke and Legacy blueberry cultivars · 2023
- negative
  Reducing the fruit bud load by winter pruning negatively affected production per plant.
cites 1 paper here
Productive performance and quality of blueberry fruits subjected to rejuvenation pruning · 2025
- no effect
  Pruning treatments did not differ in production during the second evaluation year.

A paper is on the positive side when any of its claims here is positive. Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. Claims that compare genotypes are left out; a claim about lacking a nutrient counts the other way round in that nutrient’s question. “Results differ” marks a question where two model reviewers, reading both claims, accepted at least one pair of papers whose results differ.

pruning · Yield · Vaccinium

Papers whose results differ, checked claim by claim 1

How these papers cite each other

Papers reporting a positive result 12

Papers reporting a negative result or no effect 6

pruning on Vaccinium against other targets

pruning · yield on other organisms