The impact of the cherry tree pruning period on the production and quality of fruit in an intensive cultivation system

Abstract

The study was conducted during the period 2018 to 2020 in the central area of the Republic of Moldova, and was designed to assess the effect of pruning of cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) of „Regina” variety, grafted on the Maxima 14 rootstock, during the rest and vegetative phase of plant development. The pruning was done as follows: during the rest period (control group), during the flowering period; after the harvesting (in July) and in early autumn (the first decade of September). The tree pruning influenced the fruit size. From the moment the colour of the cherry skin became pinkish-yellow and the fruit started to ripen and till its maturity, the diameter of the fruit doubled. The pruning carried out in early autumn had a great impact on the reduction of the percentage (1.6-2.9%) of fruit 24 mm and downwards in diameter and the increase of the yield of fruit (18.3-36.1%) 28 mm and upwards in diameter. It is necessary to study the post-harvest and early autumn pruning in order to determine their impact on the fruit quality and size improvement without affecting the crop yield. A long-term study, on the other hand, would be needed to evaluate the impact of pruning on harvest, especially on the weight and the commercial size distribution of the fruit.