2. Objectives in Tree Training:
Promote favorable growth patterns
Bring trees into early production
Develop a strong framework
Promote sunlight penetration
Improve ease of management
4. Bring trees into early
production
Yield - bushels/acre
300
250
200
150
OC (156 t/ac)
Quad - V (218)
Tri - V (366)
Perp.- V (641)
CL (444)
Fusetto (748)
100
50
0
2000
2001
Year (Trees planted, 1999)
2002
After Hoying, Robinson, and Anderson. NY Fruit Quart. 15(4):13-18, 2007
9. Pruning Objectives
Remove poor, unproductive wood
Encourage new growth
Remove broken and pest damaged
wood
Promote light penetration throughout
the canopy
Maintain the tree within the allotted
space
10. Pruning Cuts – the basic concepts
To
produce
new
growth
To direct
growth
11. Pruning technique can affect Cytospora infection
Flush
cut
Stub
cut
Treatment
% Cytospora
infection
Pruning time
Collar
cut
January
March
August
35.4 a
20.0 a
21.3 a
Type cut
the
collar
Stub
Flush
Collar
26.5 ab
31.0 a
19.3 b
12. Prune to retain “quality
bearing wood”:
¼” to 3/8” diam., 12 to 24”
long (and no longer than 30”),
reddish-brown color
Shoot length
Less than 1”
1” to 12”
18” to 24”
p – value
Fruit
Diameter (cm) Weight (g)
6.44
143
6.54
148
6.80
165
0.0214
Effect of retaining long (> 12”) or short (< 12”) shoots on yield, average fruit
weight (FW) and crop value of ‘Redhaven’ peaches.
Fruit
Yield
Avg.
Crop value
FW (g)
($/tree)
Treatment
per tree
(lbs/tree)
Short shoots
1593
404
106
20
Long shoots
1813
416
111
30
From R. Marini, 2004, Fruit Grower News 43(4)17-20
0.0462
13. Pruning should be used to direct growth and
with the goal of retaining a select number
of “quality bearing shoots”. Remember Vertical limbs produce growth
near the top
Horizontal limbs produce upright
growth
14. Directing growth through training and pruning Starts at planting
with a quality
nursery tree
Classic
systems
45° to 60°
from vertical
20° to 30°
from vertical
¼” to ½” caliper
tree best; 5/8”
OK; 3/4” too large
Highdensity
systems
15. Pruning at planting
– the classic
approach
Begin by heading at
18”- 28” to force
laterals
At planting
≈ 2 mo after planting
Pinch or tip the more
upright shoots to
force growth into
desired permanent
branches and help
spread.
16. Factors to consider when pruning:
“Bench cuts” produce
strong vertical growth
at the cut
17. A variation of
classic open center –
the Italian Delayed
Vase
• requires a high quality
feathered tree or an
additional year in the
orchard
• maintaining a weak
leader for several years
is the key to this system
18.
19. Pruning at planting – the upright forms
Whip
Feathered
Head tree at
planting to 18” to
20”
≈ 30-45
days after
planting
Shorten all
laterals to ≈ 2”
or at least 2
buds
Removing unwanted
narrow angled shoots
and pinching can be
done during summer
24. In central leader tree avoid structural
wood in upper leader
Upright growth habit
Standard growth habit
25. Goal of pruning and training as trees
begin to crop maintain bearing wood throughout canopy
produce high quality fruits
SUMMER PRUNING – essential, especially in HD plantings
26. Summer pruning at pit
hardening to improve
flowering
Percent of full sunlight
50
40
30
20
6th leaf
10
0
Pillar
Upright
Before SP
Standard
After SP
Light level in 3rd leaf 24 hours after
summer pruning
SP
NSP
40%
greater light
levels
1 wk before
harvest
27. Flower density (FD) in ‘Redhaven’ peach* as
influenced by photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) one
year after shade treatments during four periods.
Light (PPF) 16 June to
(%)
4-Jul
Shade period
4 July to 31 July to
31-Jul
30 Sept.
16 June to
30 Sept.
FD (flowers/m of shoot length)
100
45
23
17
9
Signif.
50
47
37
34
28
43
51
41
44
31
41
37
42
44
40
73
30
20
25
4
L
Q
n.s.
Q
* Mature open center trees; whole tree shade treatments.
From R. Marini and D. Sowers, 1990. HortSciince 25:331-334.
28. 4- year-old
Multi-leader peach at
5 ft. spacing
7- year-old
Vigor coupled with
no summer pruning
results in low canopy
void and pushes
quality bearing wood
higher in the tree
29. Dormant pruning time
- sec/tree
500
400
300
200
100
0
2000
2001
Summer pruned
Summer pruning reduced
dormant pruning time an
average of 34% over 5
seasons
2002
2003
Not summer pruned
2004
30. Summer pruning and training system
affect fruit color - ???? -
Shearing HD ‘Redskin’ ≈ 2 wks before
harvest increased red color from 36 to
49% (MD)
Shearing tops of LD ‘Loring’ in June
and/or July increased red color on fruit
from tops vs. interior (61% vs 44%) but
tree’s avg. color was not affected (NJ)
31. Peach Production Systems
Open center (Open vase)
Delayed vase
Quad – V
Tri – V
Perpendicular – V (Kearney – V)
Central leader
Fusetto
Supported systems – Tatura, Palmette
34. Yield - bushels/acre (48 lb/bu)
Annual yield for ‘Norman’ peaches as influenced
by tree density
600
HIGH (299)
500
'Norman' peach, planted 1988
HIGH - LOW
LOW (150)
400
300
200
100
0
1991
1992
1993
Year
1995
1996
From Marini and Sowers, 2000, HortSci 35:837-842; crop loss from freeze in 1994
Trees trained to central leader and open vase; yield not affected by training form; HIGH –
LOW treatment reduced from 299 t/ac to 150 t/ac in 1994.
35. From R. Marini and D. Sowers. 2000. HortSci. 35:837-842.
36. Yield for ‘Redglobe’ peaches planted in three training systems in
Georgia
350
'Redglobe'/Lovell, planted 1999
Yield - lbs/tree or
bushels/acre
300
OC - (134)
250
Quad - V - (269)
200
Perp. - V - (403)
a
ab
b
150
b
c
100
a ab
c
50
0
a
2001
2002
Yield per tree
From Taylor, K. 2003 PA Fruit New s 83(6):19-24
2001
2002
Yield per acre
37. Average tree, pruning, and thinning costs and gross/net income
for ‘Redglobe’ peaches grown in three training systems
Training
system
Average tree
costs
($)
Total pruning and
thinning costs/acre
($)
Gross
income
($)
Net
income
($)
Open center
278
825
4526
3425 b
Quad – V
558
1815
9112
6699 a
Perp. – V
836
1405
8392
6151 a
Pruning and thinning costs over 3 year period; income costs over 2 years.
Open center = 134 trees/ac, Quad – V = 269 t/ac, and Perp.- V = 403 t/ac.
From K. Taylor, PA Fruit News 83(6):19-24, 2003
38. Average yield for three varieties in six training
systems in New York
2500
Open Cneter
Quad - V
Tri - V
1500
Perpendicular V
Cumulative Yield bushels/acre
2000
Central Leader
Fusetto
1000
500
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
Year
‘Allstar’ and ‘Blushingstar’ peach and ‘Flavortop’ nectarine
From S. Hoying, T. Robinson, and R. Anderson. 2007. NY Fruit Quart 15(4):13-18
2006
39. Effect of six planting systems on fruit size, color and
farm gate value for two peaches and a nectarine grown
in New York over 6 years
Tree
density
Av. Fruit
size (g)
Fruit red
color (%)
2004
Open Center
156
182 a
46 b
6,057 d
Quad - V
218
179 a
62 a
9,987 c
Tri - V
366
172 b
57 a
11,572 b
Perpendicular V
641
161 c
61 a
15,667 a
Central Leader
444
170 b
62 a
11,568 b
Fusetto
748
168 b
60 a
14,658 a
System
Farm gate vlaue does not include picking, storage and packing costs
From S. Hoying, T. Robinson, and R. Anderson. 2007. NY Fruit Quart 15(4):13-18
Cumulative
farm gate crop
value/acre ($)
40. Yield per Acre for Three Peach Tree Growth Habits Planted
at a Recommended Spacing in West Virginia (AFRS)
1600
Yield - bushels/acre
1400
Pillar (622)
1200
Upright (419)
Standard (109)
1000
800
600
400
200
0
2000
First leaf- 1999
2001
2002
2003
2004
Spacing: P = 5’ x 14’; UP = 6.5’ x 16’; S = 20’ x 20’
Yields based on mean yields over 4 in-row spacings and 2 training forms
2005
Frost damage
2002
41. Performance in the 5th, 6th, and 7th seasons:
Pillar
UP
Number of trees per acre
622
419
109
Avg. yield, bus./ac (48 lb bu)
736
721
406
Fruit diameter (in)
2.7
2.8
2.5
41.1
36.6
22.1
Dormant pruning (hrs./ac)
Standard
*spacing - Pillar = 5’ x 14’, UP = 6.5’ x 16’, ST = 20’ x 20’
Yields based on actual yields for designated in-row spacing for each growth
habit; dormant pruning time based on 2003 & 2004 seasons only.
42. Mean fruit size (diameter) for three peach tree growth habits
planted at four in-row spacings over four harvest seasons at AFRS
Mean fruit diameter - cm
7.5
7
6.5
5
6.5
13
In-row tree
spacing in ft.
20
6
2002
2003
2004
2005
‘Crimson Rocket’, ‘Sweet-N-UP’, and ‘Harrow Beauty’ planted in 1999
