canopy management in fruit crops - Department of Agriculture & Co ...

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Canopy Management in Fruit Crops
Mangosteen
In mangosteen, no elaborate pruning is advocated for
general adoption by farmers. However, it is a good
practice to prune old, diseased and damaged branches, and
the branches that touch the soil, and the suckers that grow
up from the base of the trunk. Severe pruning and removal
of growing tips or branches should be avoided. It is better to
prune when tree does not have flowers, fruits or new flushes
of leaves.
Olive
At the time of planting, a support system of about 10 feet is erected. In a feathered
tree, develop a clean stem to a height of 45cm from the ground and select one branch
each to the left and right which can be tied to lowermost wire. Remove weak laterals.
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In the second growing season, develop another set of scaffolds on the next higher
wire and repeat the process.
Eliminate all other undesirable scaffold branches. In third growing season, another
pair of lateral scaffold branches are developed to next higher wire.
The secondary scaffold branches are allowed to develop on main scaffold branches but
if they become over vigorous, they should be headed back.
All upright growing shoots which either compete with the leader branch or arise from
main scaffold limbs are eliminated soon after their emergence. When tree attains a
height of 4m, it is headed back to a weak lateral. The intensity of pruning in later years
is kept minimum until tree attains bearing age.
Pruned trees develop in
better canopy