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

Plum
Plum plants are slower than that of peach and they take longer time to come into
bearing. Therefore, their framework should be developed similar to that of apple with
modified leader system. Pruning of mature trees should include removal of diseased and
dried wood, removal of brush wood, elimination
of weak crotches, thinning out of bearing wood
to allow penetration of light, spray materials, etc.
keeping the trees at reasonable height to facilitate
harvesting. Heading back and thinning out of
shoots may also be done to develop either new
growth or spurs for fruiting, as the case may be,
with different varieties.
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Plum plants are generally trained according to
their growth habit and vigour of rootstock.
Training is done to give a proper shape and to develop a strong framework of
branches.
Plum trees are mostly trained in open centre leader and modified centre canopy.
The top of plant is headed back to 60-80cm to stimulate the growth of lateral branches
at the time of planting. During first summer, 3-5 scaffold branches around the main
stem are selected.
Lowest scaffold branches should be about 30cm above the ground level, while other
scaffolds should be 15cm apart in spiral order. Only wide angled branches should be
selected, while remaining ones are pinched off.
In the first dormant pruning, central leader is headed back and scaffold branches
are allowed to grow whose one third growth is removed. Other weak and unwanted
branches on the main stem are also pruned off.
Well trained plants
In the second dormant pruning, 2-3 well spaced secondary branches are selected on
each primary scaffold whose one third to one fourth portion is pruned off.
Canopy Management in Fruit Crops 69