ISHS Acta Horticulturae 665: II International Symposium on Lychee, Longan, Rambutan and other Sapindaceae Plants
THE EFFECT OF SHOOT PRUNING DURING THE FALL AND WINTER ON LYCHEE FLOWERING AND YIELD |
| Authors: | R.A. Stern, M. Goren, S. Gazit |
| Keywords: | water stress, terminal buds, distal lateral buds, vegetative flushing, irrigation |
| Abstract:
‘Mauritius’ lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) shoots were end-pruned (removing about 10 cm of the shoot end) twice a month (from mid-October to first of March), on trees that were regularly irrigated up to the start of the rainy season (winter) and on trees that were subjected to autumnal water stress. Such pruning removed the terminal and distal lateral buds, which usually produce typical inflorescence. Flowering rates of control un-pruned shoots were 65 and 79% for non-stressed and stressed trees, respectively. Early pruning (October to December) resulted in full renewal of flowering. Late pruning (mid-January to March) resulted in decreasing flowering rates, declining to only 1% after the last pruning on March 1st. A commercial pruning trial, in which all shoots on ‘Mauritius’ and ‘Floridian’ trees were hand-pruned in mid-November, also was conducted. Pruning did not have a significant effect on ‘Floridian’ yield, with water stressed trees yielding about 50% more than regular irrigated trees. In contrast, ‘Mauritius’ has a clear significant response to autumnal pruning; pruning increased the yield of non-stressed trees by about 70%, and decreased the yield of stressed trees by about 50%. | |
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