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The aim of this study was to study the impact of crop load on the yield and grape quality of ‘Merlot’ and ‘Vranac’ (Vitis vinifera L.) in Trebinje vineyard. The crop load levels studied in this trial were 9 buds (V1) and 12 buds (V2) per vine at each variety trained on Lenz-Moser bilateral cordon system. The impact was determined by measurements of yield per vine and grape quality characterized by the contents of total soluble solids, titratable acidity, total phenolics, total flavonoids and by total antioxidant capacity. The measured parameters of grape quality of ‘Merlot’ and ‘Vranac’ were not influenced significantly by crop load levels. V2, compared to the V1, showed the potential for increasing grape yield only for Merlot variety under experimental conditions. The results of this study also showed a positive correlation between total phenolics/flavonoids and total antioxidant capacity of grape berries in both varieties, regardless of crop loads applied.

Bamboo is used as a multi-purpose, non-timber plant worldwide. The variation in flowering time across bamboo species and prolonged interval between vegetative and reproductive phases has attracted researchers over the decade to understand the ecological, physiological, and molecular reasons behind this. Typical flowering pathway genes related to photoperiod, vernalization, and hormonal regulation have been identified in the sequenced bamboo genome Phyllostachys edulis and many of them are transcriptionally active in other bamboo species such as Bambusa tulda. However, growing evidences suggest that stress such as drought may act as an important ‘cue’ to determine the flowering time in bamboo species. Here we provide evidence that indeed, an abundance of ABA, which is the marker hormone for drought response, is higher in young leaf from flowering culm (YLF) than a leaf from non-flowering culm (YLN). We also have observed that fire and pruning can induce flowering in Bambusa tulda, B. balcooa, Dendrocalamus hookeri and Melocanna baccifera. Finally, we discuss on the putative role of stress-induced flowering pathway genes in bamboo. Taken together, the finding of this study will aid in the sustainable management of bamboo resources in India and elsewhere.

In tea plantations, pruning to rejuvenate the plant is regularly carried out. The cutting age that is also known as pruning year determines the estimated production of tea plantations. The land slope is thought to affect the absorption of nutrients, which have implications on yields. This study aimed to explore the interaction between the pruning year and land slopes in nutrients uptake in tea plantations and to obtain the correlation between soil fertility and nutrients content in tea plants at different land slopes. A field experiment was carried out from December 2020 to February 2021 at The Research Centre for Tea and Cinchona, Gambung. A Split Plot design was conducted to observe between pruning year (PY) that consisted of pruning year 1 (PY-1), pruning year 2 (PY-2), pruning year 3 (PY-3) and pruning year 4 (PY-4) with two different slopes in each block that consisted of flat land (slope = 0-8%) and sloping land (slope = 15%-25%). Results of the study showed that there was no interaction between PY and slope on the uptake and nutrient content in the tea plant, but there was an independent effect from each factor, where the PY factor affected all nutrients uptake, while the slope factor only affected P content. There was no significant difference between flat and sloping land on soil nutrients, but there was a correlation between plant nutrients and tea plant nutrient content. P content had a strong correlation with K content (r = 0.657); and K content had a strong correlation with Mg content (r = 0.891).

The physiological and molecular markers were evaluated for defining leaf pruning line in bearing status of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera cv. Mazafati). Our results showed that the higher expression of the chlorophyllase (Chlase) gene was concomitant with lower expression of chlorophyll synthase (ChlG) and oxygen-evolving enhancer protein (PSBO) genes in the 6-year-old leaf line. In addition, the 6-year-old leaf line resulted in a lower Hill reaction rate, chlorophyll a/b ratio, photosystem Ⅱ quantum efficiency, and photosynthesis rate. Also, lower expression and activities of catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) was associated with higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) accumulation in 6-year-old leaf line. These results suggested that the physiological maturity termination, senescence stage initiation, and source to sink transition could occur in 6-year-old leaves. Furthermore, delayed 5-year-old leaf pruning line adjustment in consecutive years could increase quantitative and qualitative yield loss, decrease water use efficiency, and promote alternate bearing and fruit abscission, which is considered a common problem of date growing areas. Further, the senescence-related markers in the alternate bearing trees pruned in pruning line 5 showed a tendency to normal trees. The five-year-old pruning line also resulted in the balance of bunching and loading the alternate bearing trees.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • A growth‒defense tradeoff following root pruning. • Root growth lagged behind root physiology after root pruning. • The growth–defense tradeoff was induced by indole-3-acetic acid. • Proteomic analysis supported a growth–defense tradeoff. • Root pruning altered the expression of genes at the protein and mRNA levels., Introduction Root pruning is commonly used to facilitate seedling transplantation for the restoration of degraded or damaged ecosystems. However, little is known about how root growth coordinates morphology, physiology and defense functions following root pruning. Objectives We aim to elucidate whether and how root growth trades off with defense functioning after pruning. Methods Seedlings of Platycladus orientalis, a tree species widely used in forest restoration, were subjected to root pruning treatment. A suite of root growth, morphological and physiological traits were measured after pruning in combination with proteomic analysis. Results Root growth was insensitive to pruning until at 504 h with a significant increase of 16.8%, whereas root physiology was activated rapidly after pruning. Key root morphological traits, such as root diameter, specific root length and root tissue density, showed no response to the pruning treatment. Plant defense syndromes such as reactive oxygen species-scavenging enzymes and defensive phytohormones such as jasmonic acid and abscisic acid, were recruited at six hours after pruning and recovered to the unpruned levels at 504 h. Compared with the controls, 271, 360 and 106 proteins were differentially expressed at 6, 72 and 504 h after root pruning, respectively. These proteins, associated with defense function, showed temporal patterns similar to the above defense syndromes. Conclusion Our results suggest a root growth-defense tradeoff following root pruning in P. orientalis. This tradeoff was potentially due to the significant increase of indole-3-acetic acid, the phytohormone stimulating root branching, which occurred soon after pruning. Together, these results provide a holistic understanding of how root growth is coordinated with root morphology, physiology, and defense in response to root pruning.

Lippia thymoides is an aromatic and medicinal plant native to the Brazilian Caatinga and Cerrado. Some research on pharmacological activities and chemical composition has been carried out. However scientific knowledge about chemical variation is inceptive. Therefore, this research is aimed to evaluate factors that interfere in essential oil content of leaves and flowers, and its chemical composition. Essential oil was quantified by means of hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus. Essential oil obtained was evaluated by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The variables were: different individuals (six), hour of collection (7, 12 and 17 hours), recovery after pruning and water stress on field. The hour of collection, pruning and drying, did not influence the essential oil content. It was detected only interindividual variation. Analysis of the chemical composition of essential oil revealed thymol, methyl-thymol and p-cymene as major components. Some variations were observed on essential oil composition, but the chromatographic fingerprint remained constant. Therefore, the collection can be performed any hour of the day, and a new one can take place after the recovery of plants without compromising oil content and chemical composition.

Spring freeze events pose a threat to vineyard productivity worldwide. We compared two methods to delay grapevine budbreak for freeze avoidance and evaluated their effects on phenology, yield components, fruit composition, and postharvest parameters, including wine chemistry, carbohydrate storage, and bud freeze tolerance. The two methods to delay budbreak were: a vegetable oil-based adjuvant (Amigo®) applied to dormant buds at 8% and 10% (v/v) and late pruning applied when apical buds reached approximately Eichhorn-Lorenz stage 7. Treatments were applied in 2018 and 2019 on two Vitis vinifera cultivars, Lemberger and Riesling, and compared to a control treatment (no delayed budbreak strategy applied). Amigo and late pruning delayed budbreak compared to control vines for both years and cultivars. The delay in budbreak varied from three to six days for Amigo 8%, five to eight days for Amigo 10%, and 10 to 11 days later for late pruning. In 2019, there was a freezing event near budbreak; compared to control vines, late-pruned Lemberger vines had lower shoot damage when measured during the growing season and higher yield at harvest. Delayed budbreak treatments did not influence wine chemistry either year or consistently affect carbohydrate storage or bud freeze tolerance the following dormant season. However, in Riesling, late pruning reduced cluster and berry weight by up to 34% and 22%, respectively, compared to control vines. Furthermore, our results indicated Amigo 10% may decrease bud survival when applied to Riesling vines. In general, late pruning more effectively delayed budbreak and mitigated freeze damage than Amigo application without negatively affecting vine health and wine composition; however, the cultivar-dependent effect of late pruning on cluster weight is a consideration prior to adoption.

Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Neofusicoccum parvum are serious worldwide-distributed plant pathogenic fungi with a wide host range in tropical and temperate climates. They cause fruit rot, canker, and dieback of twigs in various woody plants. Protection of pruning wounds using fungicides is the prevalent strategy for the management of the diseases caused by these fungi. Chemical control of plant diseases is not environmentally safe and the residues of fungicides are a threat to nature. Furthermore, genetic resources of resistance to plant diseases in woody plants are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of RNA silencing using an efficient hairpin structure based on Tef-1α gene for the management of L. theobromae and N. parvum. Hairpin structure of Tef-1α was cloned in pFGC5941 binary vector and the recombinant construct was named pFGC-TEF-d. Transient expression of pFGC-TEF-d using Agrobacterium LBA4404 in grapevine (Bidaneh Sefid cv.) and strawberry cultivars (Camarosa and Ventana) led to a reduction in disease progress of L. theobromae. The disease reduction in grapevine was estimated by 55% and in strawberries cultivars Camarosa and Ventana by 58% and 93%, respectively. Further analysis of transient expression of pFGC-TEF-d in strawberry (Camarosa) shown disease reduction using Neofusicoccum parvum. Here we introduce RNAi silencing using pFGC-TEF-d construct as an efficient strategy to the management of L. theobromae and N. parvum for the first time.

Methods used to restore lapsed beech pollards by pruning were compared across four sites in northern Spain. Tree response, between five and 10 years after cutting, was compared with information abo...

This study was conducted during 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons, on 10 years old Flame Seedless grapevines, grown on the experimental vineyard of the Research Station, Matana, Esna, Luxor, Egypt to study the effect of antioxidants on vegetative growth, nutrient status, and fruiting of Flame Seedless grapevine. The experiment was arranged in a complete randomized block design with four treatments and three replications two vine per each. The obtained results could be summarized as follow: Spraying either citric acid, ascorbic acid or vitamin B12 significantly increased, pruning wood weight and leaf area as well as leaf total chlorophyll and leaf nutrient composition compared to spray water ones (check treatment). No significant differences on these traits due to spray with any ones compared to either. All antioxidants treatments significantly increased the yield and improved the cluster and berry traits compared to sprayed water. It is evident from the foregoing results that spraying with either ascorbic acid or citric acid or vitamin B12 at 250 ppm three times improved the vegetative growth, yield and berry quality.

Fire blight of apples (Erwinia amylovora) can be a serious disease depending on production area and year. Bloom is the most frequent starting point for infection and the primary focus for sprays which can prevent infection, or of growth regulators such as prohexadione-Ca (ProCa) to limit spread. Because of the sporadic cases, many growers opt to forego bloom sprays when disease pressure is low. When symptoms do appear, quickly pruning out affected branches is currently the most effective control measure. Our goal was to determine if ProCa applied when symptoms appear, instead of during bloom when infection risks are predicted, could be used to limit disease spread, and if this would interact with summer symptom removal. The study was carried out in 2018 and 2019 at the IRDA orchard in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec. Plots inoculated during bloom were allocated to treatments in which diseased branches were either pruned during summer or only in winter, and trees sprayed with ProCa starting at bloom, when symptoms appeared, or not. Potential for disease progression was assessed by inoculating shoots and rating them for disease severity and ooze production. Significantly less wood was removed from trees pruned during the summer as opposed to winter, but total yield was reduced. ProCa had no effect on the amount of dead wood pruned, but still reduced disease severity. We found that ProCa reduced ooze on inoculated shoots and that post symptom timing was as effective as the bloom spray. Delaying sprays until symptoms appear could become an alternative strategy to reduce summer spread of fire blight.

The adoption of mechanical thinning and pruning in commercial apple orchards has been limited largely by the risk of development and spread of fire blight. This devastating disease, caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia amylovora, may be transmitted by mechanical injury such as pruning, especially under warm, moist conditions conducive to bacterial growth, infection, and disease development. However, risk may be mitigated by avoiding highest-risk times and applying a bactericide, such as streptomycin, after mechanical thinning or pruning. In ‘Gala’ and ‘Idared’ orchards, we evaluated the risk of fire blight development and spread after mechanical thinning early in bloom (20% bloom), when seasonal temperatures are cooler and there are few open flowers available for infection. In both orchards, we also evaluated the spread and development of fire blight by mechanical pruning in July and in August, before and after terminal bud set, when shoot growth is slowed and the tree is less susceptible to infection. We also assessed the potential efficacy of a streptomycin or Bacillus subtilis biopesticide application after mechanical thinning and pruning to mitigate the spread of fire blight. In the ‘Gala’ orchard, disease never developed beyond the inoculated tree after thinning or pruning, which was unexpected for this highly susceptible cultivar. In the ‘Idared’ orchard, incidence of blossom or shoot blight from the point source, represented as relative area under the disease progress curve, was rarely different for trees that underwent mechanical thinning or mechanical pruning compared with untreated trees, and it was often reduced or eliminated when the antibiotic streptomycin or the B. subtilis biopesticide was applied within 24 h of mechanical thinning or pruning. For both thinning and pruning, incidence of fire blight dropped off quickly beyond the inoculated tree in the ‘Idared’ orchard and generally was not observed in trees beyond 10 to 15 m from the inoculated point source or predicted beyond 10 m by exponential and power law models fit to the disease progress curves. The results of this work demonstrate the low risk for fire blight development and spread by mechanical thinning and pruning when practiced under low-risk conditions—early in bloom for mechanical thinning and after terminal bud set (in August) for mechanical pruning—especially when paired with a subsequent bactericide application. This study demonstrates the safe use of mechanical thinning and pruning in commercial apple production, corroborated by anecdotal evidence from apple growers in western New York State.

The paper presents the results of 2018-2019 research on improving the technology of growing planting material of bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos L.) of Krasa Severa, Severyanka, Virussaare varieties on the basis of in vitro. Studied was the effect of the concentrations of growth regulators in the composition of the nutrient medium according to Anderson's recipe on the reproduction and subsequent rooting of micro cuttings, as well as the duration of cultivation and adaptation of micro plants depending on partial pruning of shoots. It has been established that at the stage of introduction into in vitro culture, sterilization of explants with 33% hydrogen peroxide in an exposure of 5-8 minutes with washing in 5 portions of sterile distillate gives 60-80 % of viable shoots. The optimum phase of plant development for the successful introduction of in vitro culture is the swelling of buds. Cultivation of micro cuttings was carried out in a light room at a temperature of 25±2 °С, a photoperiod of 16 hours. The duration of each subculturing was 30-60 days. For the stage of actual micropropagation on Anderson's nutrient medium, an increase in the dose of cytokinin 6-benzylaminopurine (6-BAP) from 0.2 to 0.5 mg/l and an increase in the duration of cultivation from 30 to 60 days contributed to a significant increase in the multiplication factor on average for the tested cranberry varieties.According to the efficiency of micropropagation, the varieties Virussaare and Krasa Severa were distinguished – 9.3-12.0 pcs/stalk, respectively. At the rooting stage, the use of a root-forming reagent of indolyl-3-acetic acid (IUK) in doses of 0.2, 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l in the composition of Anderson's nutrient medium did not affect the quality of root formation and the length of shoots of Virussaare micro-plants. No significant varietal differences in the root-forming ability of microcuttings were found. The tendency of better rooting of micro cuttings was observed in the Virussaare variety (90.3 %) compared to the Severyanka (85.7 %) and Krasa Severa (79.3 %) varieties. Micro plants of the Krasa Severa cultivar were characterized by the longest shoots, the total number of roots was less, but their length was longer in comparison with other cultivars. For the adaptation stage, a substrate from a mixture of lowland peat and sphagnum moss was used (1:1). The efficiency of adaptation of micro plants of cranberry varieties when cutting the tip of the shoots was 100 %. Pruning of micro plants shoots contributed to the formation of more side shoots and better development of the aboveground part of the plants.

The present investigation was carried out during two successive seasons 2019 and 2020 on Flame seedless grapes cultivar grown in sandy soil at private farm, Naga Hamady, Qena Governorate, Egypt. Eight treatments of mineral N, humic acid, organic and biofertilization applied to study the effect of them on vegetative growth, soil nutrient status, and fruiting of Flame seedless grapevines. The experimental vines were arranged in a complete randomized design with eight treatments and three replications two vine per each. The obtained results could be summarized as follow: Using the recommended dose of nitrogen (RDN) via 25 to 50% mineral plus 25 to 50% Humic acid (HA) or compost and bio-mix significantly increased, leaf area, pruning wood weight, and leaf total chlorophyll as well as leaf nutrient composition compared to use RDN via mineral N fertilizer alone. All combined fertilization treatments significantly increased the yield and improved the cluster and berry traits compared to use RDN via mineral source only. The results of this investigation indicated that, most trace element and soil physical and chemical properties were increased with increasing the level of organic, bio fertilization and humic acid in studied soil. Also, it could be concluded that fertilized vines with 25 to 50% of nitrogen requirements plus HA or compost and bio-mix improved the vegetative growth and nutritional status, as well as, yield, cluster attributes and berry quality of Flame seedless grapevines under this experiment circumstances.

Alternative materials with added-value functions, such as phytopathogen suppression and biostimulant and/or biofertilising activity, have been proposed as peat substitutes in growing media. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of 23 agro-industrial composts as components of growing media for baby-leaf lettuce transplant production and their activity against the plant pathogen Pythium irregulare. The composts were produced by mixing different starting feedstocks—tomato waste, leek waste, olive mill cake and vineyard pruning waste—with different additives (coffee, thyme, lavender and rockrose waste), which were incorporated at the beginning of the maturation phase. The results obtained indicated that the composts were mature enough to be used as growing media. The fresh weight of the lettuce plants grown with the different composts was significantly higher than in plants obtained with peat. Composts with the coffee additive produced higher lettuce fresh weight, while those with thyme yielded a lower fresh weight. Moreover, composts as components of growing media showed significantly higher P. irregulare suppressiveness than peat. The composts with additives produced lower lettuce fresh weight than composts without additives, but showed higher suppressiveness. Composts with additives showed opposite results depending on whether they were exposed to pathogens or not. Composts with additives showed opposite results according to pathogen pressure or not. Out of all the composts studied, the compost with tomato waste and leek waste as the initial feedstock, and lavender as an additive, showed the highest suppressive capacity. After lettuce harvesting, the growing media with composts showed significantly lower concentrations of P. irregulare than peat. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed that the growing media with compost can be grouped together according to the additive type, This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and by European Regional Development Funds (ERDF, ‘‘Una manera de hacer Europa”) in the framework of the project ‘‘Compost as biofertilizer, resistance inductor against plant pathogens and healthy property promoter under a crop intensive sustainable production. Compoleaf” (Project AGL2017- 84085-C3-1-R, C3-2-R and C3-3-R)

Aims: The conventional management adopted in many Mediterranean olive orchards makes them more vulnerable to climate change and attacks by pathogens, due to the decreased chemical plant defenses. In this scenario, a metabolomic analysis was carried out on the xylem sap (X) of olive plants (Olea europaea L.) grown in the Salento peninsula (Italy). Methods: Trials were carried out in two olive groves, one organically and one conventionally managed (controls), successively both converted to sustainable management (i.e. frequent light pruning, soil and foliar fertilization, cover crops). The X was extracted from the shoots of olive plants using a Scholander pressure chamber pressurized with N and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolite profiling was performed in the X. Results: An untargeted gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolomic analysis of primary metabolites (including underivatized volatiles) of the X revealed relative abundances of 153 identified metabolites and 336 unknown features across the 12 samples from four groups of samples. Among them, more than half were involved in the primary metabolism. Many of the compounds with increased levels under sustainable management (such as amino acids, soluble sugars, sugar alcohols) have a well-known role as osmoprotectants or are involved in plant defense, growth and development during stress or recovery stages. Conclusions: Sustainable management in olive groves can increase the ability of plants to overcome environmental stressors and enhance ecosystem balance.

The main aim of this review is to document the insect pests and diseases of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus L.) and their management in Bangladesh compared to other jackfruit growing countries. This article was based on mostly literature review. A. heterophyllus being the national fruit of Bangladesh, is widely consumed by most of the rural people. All parts of the fruit and tree are used as human food, animal feed and wood source for furniture. Jackfruit contains anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-helminthic properties. The fruit is rich in carbohydrates, minerals, carboxylic acids, dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals. The seed is rich in manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium iron and lectins and thus meets up nutritional requirements for the rural people. Despite the importance, a number of insect pests and diseases attack jackfruit plant and fruit. Shoot and fruit borer (Diaphania caesalis Walker) and trunk borer (Batocera rufomaculata De Geer) have been reported as major insect pests, while stem and fruit rot (Rhizopus artocarpi), bacterial dieback, pink disease (Pelliculana salmonicolor), leafspot (Phomopsis artocarpina), fruit bronzing (Pantoea stewartia Smith) and Gummosis (Phomopsis artocarpi) have been reported as major diseases. The pruning and training are an effective management technique for the insect pests and diseases. This technique provides well ventilation and reduces relative humidity at tree canopy level. Bordeaux paste is a common fungicide for the management of jackfruit borer pest and rhizopus rot, leaf spot, dieback and gummosis diseases. This paper has heighted the multifarious benefits of jackfruit plant and described the problems and solutions of jackfruit cultivation in agroforestry system of Bangladesh.

Lasioptera sp. is one of the problematic pests in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions where protected tomato cultivation is done in Turkey. The larvae that cause tunnel and deteriorations in the plant’s main stem by feeding on the core part of the body mostly lead to the death of the plant in a dense pest population. Since harmful larvae live in plant tissue and thus are protected against insecticides and biological agents, control of the pest is very crucial. As an alternative method to pest control, the effects of tomato axillary shoot pruning for controlling the pest were examined. For this purpose, while pruning of axillary shoots in tomato plants as recommended in cultural processes, shoots that are cut off from the body completely and stub-pruning sprouts with 3-5 cm length were assessed in the experiment. The study was carried out in Erdemli district of Mersin province in 2015 and 2017. Although it is ensured that the harmful larvae can feed inside stub-pruned shoots left on the body, the larvae could not reach the plant’s main stem and do not cause any damage to the plant. In terms of damaged plants, it was determined that 77.8% and 85.2% of the stub-pruning application are effective in 2015 and 2017, respectively. Additionally, in the study, the attractiveness of visual sticky traps in six different colors including, yellow, black, blue, white, red, and green was investigated. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the colors tested were not sufficient to attract pests.

The research was aimed to obtain male and female rows ratio and best pruning technique towards SINHAS 1 maize production. This research was conducted in Experimental Farm Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University, Tamalanrea District, Makassar, South Sulawesi with elevation of 22,4 meters above the sea level throughout May – August 2020. The experiment was carried out in the form of Split Plot Design with male-female row ratio as main plot, which consisted of three levels: 1:2 ratio, 1:3 ratio, and 1:4 ratio. Sub plot was pruning techniques: no pruning, male parent pruning and leaf pruning under the cob of female parent. The result showed that the favorable male-female row ratio towards SINHAS 1 maize production was 1:4 ratio. Male parent pruning was the best pruning technique for SINHAS 1 maize production. The interaction between male-female ratio and best pruning technique was 1:3 male-female ratio with male parent pruning technique. Characters that showed positively direct significance towards productivity were cob diameter, cob length, and number of seed rows per cob

Little attention has been paid to the phenolic composition and bioactive properties of primary tomato plant by-products (Solanum lycopersicum L.) as compared to fruits. In this study, axillary green shoots resulting from pruning and aerial biomass at the end of the cultivation cycle were characterized for their composition in chlorophylls and phenolic compounds, as well as for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The HPLC-DAD-ESI/MSn analysis allowed identifying phenolic acids and flavonoids, with prevalence of quercetin-3-O-rutinoside (rutin). The extracts had in vitro antioxidant and antihemolytic activity, especially those produced from pruning materials. Despite their low activity against the tested microfungi, some extracts had ability to inhibit and kill some bacteria more effectively than the antibiotic ampicillin. It was interesting to conclude that table tomato crop remains, currently with no commercial value, can be used to produce extracts with antioxidant and antibacterial activities for possible use in the agri-food sector as natural preservatives. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Scienceand Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020).J. Pinela and L. Barros thank their research contracts (national funding by FCT, P.I., through the institutional scientific employment program-contract). M. Añibarro-Ortega thanks his grant to the project Mobilizador ValorNatural:Norte-01-0247-FEDER-024479. The authors are grateful to FEDER-Interreg España-Portugal programme for financial support through the project 0377 Iberphenol 6 E. This work was also supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Republic of Serbia (451-03-68/2020-14/200007). To the PEPAC Program (2015) for supporting V. Martins training stage at the BPGV, Braga, Portugal. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The addition of pulverized grape pruning wood to grape soils has a positive effect on fruit quality. However, its effects on the soil microecology of the root zone and the growth of the grape plants are not fully understood. To address this, ‘Shine Muscat’ grapes were cultivated in media consisting of garden soil and crushed grape pruning material at different mass ratios [100:1 (T1), 50:1 (T2), 30:1 (T3), 20:1 (T4), and 10:1 (T5)] and in garden soil without the pruning material, as a control. The changes in the plant fresh weight, leaf area, soil and plant analyzer development (SPAD) value, root development, soil organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, and soil enzyme activity were determined over time. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to determine the soil bacterial community structures. The pruning supplementation increased the grape plants fresh weight, leaf area, and SPAD values. The T2 and T3 treatments increased the grape root length, surface area, and the projected area and number of the root tips; the soil organic carbon content, microbial biomass carbon content, soil invertase activity, amylase activity, and β-glucosidase activity were also significantly increased. The addition of the grape pruning material was found to increase the bacterial diversity and richness 60 and 150 days after treatment. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant groups, and the grape pruning material increased the relative abundance of the Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria after 60 and 150 days. The relative abundance of the Actinobacteria in the T2 treatment was 1.7, 1.3, 1.5, and 1.3 times that of the control, after 60, 90, 120, and 150 days, respectively. The T2 treatment was identified as the optimal treatment for grapes in the field because it improved the soil microecology and promoted root and tree development the most compared with the other treatments tested.

The composting of waste from a broiler chicken production chain (BCPC) promotes the mitigation of environmental impacts and allows the commercialization of compost as an agricultural input. Both the characteristics and the potential for use of the final compost depends on the operational conditions during composting. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of organic compounds generated from composting BCPC residues and the pruning debris of urban trees in the germination and initial growth of lettuce seedlings. Six organic substrates obtained under different coverage conditions (presence and absence) and number of turns (8, 12, and 16) were evaluated using the germination index (IG) and Dickson quality index (DQI) for the production of seedlings in trays and compared with a commercial substrate. Principal component analysis demonstrated that the IG is not related to the DQI. The compounds produced without coverage showed lower levels of electrical conductivity (p < 0.05) and potassium (p < 0.05) due to the leaching of soluble salts during composting. These substrates did not inhibit seed germination (IG ≥ 75%), but resulted in less robust seedlings, mainly in relation to the aerial portion. BCPC residues were viable for composting treatment and the DQI of the organic compounds (0.0125) used as substrates for the initial growth of lettuce seedlings were, on average, 14% higher than that obtained from the commercial substrate (0.090), indicating that the organic compounds were of better quality.

The plants of Syringa vulgaris L. within the culture are proved to require annual pruning of the crown. It is caused by dichotomous (not real) branching, according to which each annual branch produces two shoots in the spring from the apical pair of buds and a few more from the buds located below the axis of this branch. Therefore, their total number at least triples every year. The root system will not be able to increase its mass and physiological activity in such volumes during this time, which correlatively causes a significant reduction in the size of shoots and inflorescences. If care was irregular or absent, there would be a need for intensive thinning or radical rejuvenation of the crown. These measures are found to able to improve the decorativeness of plants, but they will negatively affect longevity. There are two reasons for this. The first is the appearance of various sections on the trunk or on skeletal branches after removal of the branches on the ring. We have defined that even among these sections, even 1.5-2.0 cm ones will never heal, but in 10-15 years, their wood will turn into dust. The wood of large wounds is destroyed faster, which causes the formation of hollows and the slow death of the whole plant. The second reason for the shortening of longevity is a sudden distortion of the functional correlative root-leaf connection, which is a consequence of a sharp decrease in the rejuvenated plant aboveground part. Firstly, this leads to a rapid attenuation of photosynthesis (the crown is almost absent), and then, consequently, to slowing of root synthesis due to the scant supply of assimilates to the roots. As a result, the mass of the physiologically active part of the root system will be significantly reduced, which will negatively affect the longevity of the plant as a whole. It has also been established that thickened planting of lilacs also forces intensive pruning of the crown. To restore its decorativeness, all oppressed plants should be removed, and the rest should be lowered by one third to bring it closer to the root system, which will provide the plants with physical resistance and activate their root-leaf connection. This measure should be carried out as early as possible in time, because weak plants will begin to suffer from diseases. The branches should be shortened, not cut into a ring, in order not to injure the trunk. It is emphasized that with the optimal location of plants in groups, the need for intensive rejuvenation is eliminated as the annual removal of small, shaded, and low-ornamental branches will suffice. With this approach to the formation and pruning of the crown, lilacs will be decorative and in most cases – durable.

This research was carried out for 120 days in the horticulture area of the Universidad Nacional de Concepcion, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias to evaluate how morphological and productive characteristics of tomato plants were influenced by the distance between plants and the pruning of axillary buds. The design used in the experiment was the randomized block method with factorial arrangement (3x3); factor A was the pruning of axillary buds (no pruning, pruning between 1 and 5 cm, pruning between 6 to 10 cm of sucker length) and factor B was the distance between plants (40, 59 and 60 cm). Three repetitions were carried out. Plant height, fruits per bunch, polar and equatorial fruit diameters, and fruit yield per plant were determined. The results indicated significant differences of pruning of axillary buds for all determinations carried out. Only fruit yield per plant showed a significant difference by planting density. Pruning of axillary buds (6 to 10 cm sucker length) gave the best morphological and productive results. It is shown here that pruning of axillary buds has a significant influence on tomato production. Key words: Lycopersicum esculentum, sucker length, fruit yield.

Aim: Shoot thinning is a common canopy management practice used to obtain a desired shoot density and to improve canopy microclimate. Since thinning is often carried out manually, the cost can be high. In this study the effect of severe shoot thinning (50 % of shoots removed) applied at EL 15 was investigated by comparing yield components, canopy size, berry and wine chemistry, and sensory attributes to a non-thinned control for the variety Semillon. The objective was to determine whether shoot thinning could change canopy architecture and lead to improved fruit and wine chemistry and sensory characteristics.Methods and results: The trial was carried out over four consecutive growing seasons (starting in 2014-15) in the Semillon block of the Coombe vineyard (Waite Campus, the University of Adelaide). Canopy architecture was monitored at key phenological stages in each season and yield components were assessed at harvest. The harvested fruit was used for chemical and sensory analysis of the berries. Wines were made and their chemistry and sensorial attributes assessed. Shoot thinning reduced the total leaf area in only two of the four seasons, but single shoot leaf area and cane weight were higher in shoot-thinned vines in all seasons. Shoot thinning did not reduce yield, despite a large reduction in bunch number, because of increased bunch weight. Shoot thinning did not change berry and wine chemistry. Similarly, little differences were observed in the sensory profile of berries and wines, and the assessors preferred the wines obtained from shoot thinned vines in the last season only.Conclusions: In this study, shoot thinning increased the leaf area per shoot and the cane weight, but yield and grape and wine chemistry were unaffected. The vine balance indices leaf area/yield and yield/pruning weight were also unaffected by the treatment, despite its intensity (50 % of shoots removed).Significance and impact of the study: The practice of shoot thinning when applied at EL stage 15 (8-9 leaves separated) was not effective as a technique to improve canopy microclimate and berry and wine chemistry for the white variety Semillon in a hot Australian climate. By not applying shoot thinning growers could potentially make significant savings without affecting yield or wine properties. Further research is needed to explore the effect and timing of shoot thinning on other varieties and in different environments.

The objectives of this study was to compare bud death of four different grapevine cultivars (’Bronx Seedless’, ’Cardinal’, ’Autumn Royal’, ’Superior Seedless’) after the winter cold of 2018–2019, and was to investigate the relationship between bud death and water content, the presence of lateral shoot and soluble carbohydrates of dormant buds. Bud death rates were determined after exposure to winter temperatures by using binocular microscope after opening buds with a razor blade. Significant differences (p ≤ 0.0) were found among the low temperature hardiness of dormant buds at nodes with or without lateral shoots of four grape cultivar following winter cold. This investigation illustrates that buds in nodes with lateral shoots were bud death at higher temperatures than buds in nodes without lateral shoots. It is revealed that buds in nodes with lateral shoots had less tolerance to winter temperatures. Cultivars were classified as hardy (’Bronx Seedless’ and ’Cardinal’), moderately hardy (’Superior Seedless’) and least hardy (’Autumn Royal’) based on the bud mortality rates. It was observed that water and soluble carbohydrate contents were much higher in the buds in nodes without lateral shoots against to buds in nodes with lateral shoots in cold hardy cultivars namely ’Bronx Seedless’, ’Cardinal’ compared to the other cultivars. The pattern of water content and soluble carbohydrates were highly consistent with the bud death rate. The correlation analysis of cold hardiness indices with bud mortality indicated that the bud death rate is positively correlated with water content and is negatively correlated with soluble carbohydrate content. Because of the presence of lateral shoots reduces the resistance of buds to low temperatures, it is highly suggested to those who grow with these varieties could remove the lateral shoots in time period of summer pruning in cold regions.

Beneficial rhizobacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens N 21.4 and its metabolic elicitors inoculated to cultivars of blackberry (Rubus spp. Var. Loch Ness) reinforced the plants' immune system and improved their fitness by increasing photosynthesis, decreasing oxidative stress, and activating pathogenesis-related proteins. They also triggered the leaves' flavonoid metabolism, enhancing the accumulation of beneficial phenolic compounds such as kaempferols and quercetin derivatives. The elicitation of leaf secondary metabolism allows one to take advantage of the blackberry leaves (a current crop waste), following the premises of the circular economy, to isolate and obtain high added value compounds. The results of this work suggest the use of N 21.4 and/or its metabolic elicitors as plant inoculants as an effective and economically and environmentally friendly agronomic alternative practice in the exploitation of blackberry crops to obtain plants with a better immune system and to revalorize the leaf pruning as a potential source of polyphenols.

Introduction: The production of seedlings in containers implies the risk of deforming the root. This damage persists and increases after outplanting causing negative effects on the plants. Objective: To evaluate outplanting performance of Pinus patula Schltdl. & Cham. as an effect of root pruning and containers used in the nursery. Materials and methods: Nine-month-old seedlings were grown in three 170 cc containers: plastic tray, polystyrene tray and grid with containers with 54, 77 and 42 cavities, respectively. The cavities were impregnated with copper hydroxide to encourage chemical root pruning; additionally, an aerial root pruning treatment was included (containers with lateral openings). Survival and growth of P. patula were evaluated under field conditions during two years in 72 plants per treatment, randomly distributed in six blocks or replications. Results and discussion: Pruned and unpruned plants showed significant differences (P ≤ 0.05) in survival (89 vs. 79 %), height (154.0 vs. 147.1 cm) and relative annual growth rates of diameter (0.97 vs. 0.93 cm·cm-1·year-1) and height (0.97 vs. 0.92 cm·cm-1·year-1). Plants in plastic containers and polystyrene trays had the best growth and survival rates. The interaction container*pruning was not significant. In spite of starting with the lowest sizes, the plants in containers designed for aerial root pruning had similar characteristics to those grown in the same containers with and without chemical root pruning. Conclusion: Root pruning favored survival and growth of P. patula after outplanting and had a greater effect than the type of container used.

Turkey is among the leading countries in fruit production. Every year important amounts of pruning residues emerge from orchards. These residues have significant energy potential. There is a lack o...

Lateral branches (LBs) pruning is performed frequently to keep the tomato plants in optimal growth conditions. However, the suitable pruning length of LBs, as well as the physiological and molecular mechanisms of pruning length on plant growth regulation remains elusive in tomato. The effects of pruning length of LBs from 0 to 20 cm on vegetative growth, reproductive growth, labor costs, hormone metabolism and genes transcripts were evaluated in an indeterminate type tomato cultivar. By comprehensive analysis, we provided evidence that pruning length of LBs at about 6–7 cm was suitable for plant growth, high yield, and low labor costs in tomato production. For mechanisms, appropriate extension of pruning length of LBs increased indole acetic acid (IAA) concentrations in root, which promoted the biosynthesis and upward transport of inactive cytokinins (CKs), as well as root development. Meanwhile, existence of LBs inhibited the auxin outflow of the lower flower stalks by regulating transcripts of AUX1 and PIN. Then, the enhanced concentrations of IAA and CKs in ovary could promote fruit swelling. Additionally, pruning length of LBs also influenced the leaf senescence to control photosynthesis. Taken together, we highlight that pruning length of LBs influence auxin and cytokinins homeostasis in relation to growth and yield in tomato plants.

Background and Aims Global warming can lead to technological ripening occurring in advance of phenolic maturity for red wine cultivars. This study evaluated the effect of post‐budburst winter pruning on the phenology, yield components, berry composition and phenolic maturity in Vitis vinifera L. cv. Merlot. Methods and Results Mechanically pre‐pruned vines followed up with hand pruning during winter (Control) were compared to vines that were mechanically pre‐pruned and followed up with hand pruning after budburst when distal buds developed shoots with either three unfolded leaves (DF3) or eight unfolded leaves (DF8). Late pruning delayed budburst, flowering and, to a lesser extent, veraison. The delays were greater for DF8 than DF3 treatments. Yield decreased by about 40 and 71% in DF3 and DF8 vines, respectively, while sugar accumulation and reduction of TA were delayed by both pruning treatments. The concentration of anthocyanin and tannin and of extractable anthocyanin and tannin (of skin and seeds analysed separately) were not influenced by the DF3 treatment while tannin concentration increased in DF8 berries. Conclusions Delaying hand pruning of mechanically pre‐pruned vines until after budburst of distal nodes can delay technological ripening without affecting the concentration of anthocyanin and tannin of berries. Yield, however, is substantially reduced. Significance of the Study We verified the feasibility of a cost‐effective technique that can be adopted to counteract the hastening of sugar accumulation and organic acid decline caused by global warming on valuable black grapes.

The article presents the existing genetic resources of historical mulberry trees in Slovenia and reveals that pruning management and geographical distribution exhibit significant effect on certain biochemical traits. Former sericultural regions in Europe retained a number of centuries-old white mulberry (Morus alba L.) trees, which represent both, a valuable natural heritage and outstanding monuments of the very early attempts to establish a European sericulture, since their leaves were traditionally used to feed the silkworm larvae (Bombyx mori L.). The aim of the presented research was to collect data regarding eco-geographical locations of historical mulberry trees in Slovenia and to screen the content of the main metabolites in leaves to determine genotypes of local origin which are superior in individual compounds defined as feed markers. During field excursions, the highest number of mulberry trees was recorded in the Submediterranean region, followed by the Subpannonean, South-Eastern region and Central Slovenia. Pruning recordings revealed that pollarding is traditionally used in the Submediterranean region. The main phenolic compounds identified in leaves were caffeoylquinic acid derivatives, quercetin malonylhexoside, rutin, kaempferol acetylhexoside and isoquercetin. Pruning significantly affected the levels of total protein and quercetin dirhamnosylhexoside, which were higher in the annually pruned trees. Geographical distribution has a significant effect on total proteins as well as on total phenolics, caffeoylquinic acid derivatives and flavonols. Linear discriminant analysis enabled a comprehensive assessment of leaf metabolites and confirmed that mulberries of different Slovenian regions have distinctive biochemical traits. We were able to recognize caffeoylquinic acid, quercetin malonylhexoside, rutin, kaempferol acetylhexoside and isoquercetin as valuable feed markers with respect to their known beneficial effect on silkworm larvae growth and cocoon quality. By reviewing the existing mulberry genetic resources and their leaf metabolites, we highlighted the natural, cultural and scientific value of the white mulberry.

Pruning had a vital role on the quality of fruit production in ber fruit crop under lower Shiwaliks of Punjab. The severity of pruning intensity significantly influenced the tree vegetative growth parameters and flowering behaviour of ber cv. Sanaur-2 viz. number of emerged shoots per branch, shoot length and girth of primary shoot. A significant higher percentage of fruit set, fruit retention, higher percentage of ‘A’ grade fruits and other fruit quality parameters viz., fruit weight, TSS, acidity, vitamin C, total sugars was recorded significantly higher in pruning treatment by removal 50 per cent vegetative growth over other treatments. Powdery mildew incidence steadily increased from standard meteorological weeks (SMW) 36 - 39 to 40 - 43 and then decreased under different pruning treatments. The severity of pruning reduces the incidence of powdery mildew. The meteorological knowledge on various weather variables at 3 - 4 weeks to actual incidence also can be effectively used to check the spread and severity of the disease.

In this review, the main internal and environmental hypotheses regarding alternate bearing and abscission of inflorescence buds and also, the methods to mitigate this physiological phenomenon have been investigated. Alternate bearing is annually fluctuating heavy (‘on’) and light (‘off’) crops, which occurs in most fruit trees. There are multiple visible causes, decreased shoot growth and flower buds or imperfect flowers, but all occur in association with a heavy crop, suggesting a carbohydrate resource limitation to shoot growth, or flower initiation, induction or differentiation. Pistachios bear on 1-year-old shoots from axillary buds produced the previous year. The visible mechanism is bud abscission on current season’s growth during ‘on’ years and bud retention in low crop load (‘off’) years. Though bud abscission is visible, the underlying cause is unknown. This review classifies the multiple hypotheses as internal, genetic, carbohydrate resources and hormones or environmental, abiotic and biotic stresses. Our examination of potential hypotheses and recent research suggests alternate bearing in pistachio is a result of the carbohydrate resource limitation generated by the heavy ‘on’ year crop maturation. However, the specific signal producing bud abscission is unknown. Alternate bearing in pistachio can be mitigated by a vigorous rootstock, particularly if combined with proper pruning. We hypothesize the vigorous rootstock may produce a better carbohydrate resource status through a larger tree with more leaf surface area. The pruning does not address the bud abscission but alters the ratio of non-bearing to bearing shoots, resulting in a lower alternate bearing index. Furthermore, we conclude alternate bearing in pistachio, while a within shoot phenomenon, can be triggered by severe environmental events that damage a current crop.

Although pruning is important to obtain high-quality, large-diameter timber, the effects of pruning on nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) in aboveground organs of many timber species are not well understood. Three intensities of pruning (none, moderate and severe) were tested on poplars (Populus alba × P. talassica) in the arid desert region of northwest China to compare the concentrations of soluble sugar (SS), starch (ST) and total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) in leaves, branches and trunks during the growing season. The concentration of NSC components after different pruning intensities varied similarly in seasonal patterns, increasing slowly at the beginning of the growing season, continuously declining in the middle, then gradually recovering by the end of the growing season. The monthly mean NSC concentration in poplar differed significantly among the three pruning intensities (p branch > trunk, while the order of ST concentration was trunk > leaf > branch, which was related to functional differences of plant organs. The annual average growth in height of unpruned, moderately pruned, and severely pruned poplars was 0.21 ± 0.06, 0.45 ± 0.09 and 0.24 ± 0.05 m, respectively, and the annual average growth in DBH were 0.92 ± 0.04, 1.27 ± 0.06 and 1.02 ± 0.05 cm, respectively. Our results demonstrate that moderate pruning may effectively increase the annual growth in tree height and DBH while avoiding damage caused by excessive pruning to the tree body. Therefore, moderate pruning may increase the NSC storage and improve the growth of timber species.

Background Grapevine canes represent a large source of waste derived from grape cultivation. In the present study, the effect of different processes of storage and different pruning times on the stilbene accumulation on Pinot noir canes was analyzed. Whether the alteration of the secondary metabolism accompanying leafroll symptom expressions could affect the stilbenoid accumulation in canes harvested at pruning time was also investigated. Results The maximum accumulation of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceatannol was obtained in canes harvested in October and dried at 40 °C. Even in grape canes harvested in October, November, and December and stored for different times at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C) a marked increase in trans-resveratrol and trans-piceatannol was evident, which reached a maximum at around 8 weeks of storage. A significant higher accumulation of trans-resveratrol and trans-piceatannol was also found in canes harvested from symptomatic plants compared to those harvested from asymptomatic plants for all the pruning times. Conclusion This study confirms that the biosynthetic enzyme activities and, particularly, those involved in the stilbene pathway, persist during Pinot noir cane storage at different harvest times, with different storage times and conditions, and different sanitary status. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Experiment was laid out in RBD design with seven treatments comprised of pruning of affected twigs (July & October) and miticides (chlorfenapyr & spiromesifen) sprayed twice in July and once in October months to evaluate the efficacy of various integrated approaches. Results revealed that initial mite infestation ranged from 31.9 to 45.9%. During 2017–18, no mite infestation was recorded from October to fruiting stage in pruning and removal of affected twigs followed by two spraying of chlorfenapyr 10 EC (0.03%) or spiromesifen 22.9 SC (0.034%) at 15 days interval during July and again pruning in October with one spraying of chlorfenapyr or spiromesifen against 89.0% in control at fruiting stage, followed by no pruning in October along with spraying of chlorfenapyr with 7.6% mite infestation at flowering stage. Similar trend in 2018–19 confirmed that pruning in July and October followed spraying of miticides (chlorfenapyr or spiromesifen) twice in July and once in October were highly effective against litchi mite.

The definition of optimum harvest and pruning interventions are important factors varying inflorescence yield and cannabinoid composition. This study investigated the impact of (i) harvest time (HT) and (ii) pruning techniques (PT) on plant biomass accumulation, CBD and CBDA-concentrations and total CBD yield of a chemotype III medical cannabis genotype under indoor cultivation. The experiment consisted of four HTs between 5 and 11 weeks of flowering and three PTs-apical cut (T); removal of side shoots (L) and control (C), not pruned plants. Results showed that inflorescence dry weight increased continuously, while the total CBD concentration did not differ significantly over time. For the studied genotype, optimum harvest time defined by highest total CBD yield was found at 9 weeks of flowering. Total CBD-concentration of inflorescences in different fractions of the plant’s height was significantly higher in the top (9.9%) in comparison with mid (8.2%) and low (7.7%) fractions. The T plants produced significantly higher dry weight of inflorescences and leaves than L and C. Total CBD yield of inflorescences for PTs were significantly different among pruned groups, but do not differ from the control group. However, a trend for higher yields was observed (T > C > L).

Summary: To reshape neuronal connectivity in adult stages, Drosophila sensory neurons prune their dendrites during metamorphosis using a genetic degeneration program that is induced by the steroid hormone ecdysone. Metamorphosis is a nonfeeding stage that imposes metabolic constraints on development. We find that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a regulator of energy homeostasis, is cell-autonomously required for dendrite pruning. AMPK is activated by ecdysone and promotes oxidative phosphorylation and pyruvate usage, likely to enable neurons to use noncarbohydrate metabolites such as amino acids for energy production. Loss of AMPK or mitochondrial deficiency causes specific defects in pruning factor translation and the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Our findings distinguish pruning from pathological neurite degeneration, which is often induced by defects in energy production, and highlight how metabolism is adapted to fit energy-costly developmental transitions.

Summer pruning reduces vegetative growth in apple trees, but it could have an impact on fruit quality. This study analyzed the effects of summer pruning as an eco-friendly pre-harvest alternative to chemical growth regulation inputs on instrumental and sensory quality of highly vigorous apple cv. ‘Reinette du Canada’, which has been awarded with a Protected Designation of Origin label in two environments. The results showed that summer pruning affected the mineral content of the fruit. Summer pruning reduced bitter pit, but it did not negatively affect fruit weight nor any other instrumental characteristic during storage. Moreover, sensory quality or degree of liking were not affected by summer pruning. Thus, summer pruning could be an eco-friendly pre-harvest alternative to chemical treatments to improve quality in global terms of ‘Reinette du Canada’ apple cultivar, regardless of the location. This technique contributed to the decrease of bitter pit incidence, but did not decrease sensory quality nor degree of liking.

Trichoderma is a genus of fungi used for the biological control of plant diseases and a large number of its bio-formulates are available in the market. However, its efficacy under field conditions remains unclear, especially for the protection of grapevine plants against Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs). These diseases are caused by a complex of fungal pathogens whose main point of entrance into the affected plants is through pruning wounds. In this research, different Trichoderma native strains have been evaluated according to their ability to grow at different temperatures and their capacity to colonize pruning wounds in adverse climatic conditions. Strains from section Trichoderma have adapted to cooler conditions. On the other hand, strains from clade Harzianum/Virens grow at higher temperatures. However, differences can also be found between strains inside the same clade/section. Native strains were able to colonize more than 70% of vine pruning wounds in winter conditions. The Trichoderma strain T154 showed a significantly higher re-isolation degree from vine plants and its concentration was optimized for spraying onto vine plants. In conclusion, Trichoderma native strains are better adapted to survive in a changing environment, and they could give better protection to grapevine plants in co-evolution with each specific vineyard.

Most calcareous soils have relatively low levels of organic matter. To address this issue and improve the qualitative properties of calcareous soils, soils can be treated with mycorrhizal fungi and/or exogenous organic material such as biochar or compost derived from tree pruning waste. To evaluate the effect of pruning waste biochar (PWB) and pruning waste compost (PWC) derived from apple and grape trees combined with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on the biological indices of calcareous soils, a rhizobox study on wheat plants using a completely randomized design was conducted under greenhouse conditions. The studied factors included the source of the type of organic material applied (PWB, PWC, and control), the nature of the microbial inoculation (inoculation with AMF or no inoculation), and the zone to which the treatments were applied (rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil). At the end of the plant growth period, organic carbon (OC), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass phosphorous (MBP), microbial respiration (BR), substrate-induced respiration (SIR), alkaline (ALP), acid (ACP) phosphatase enzyme activities in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, and root mycorrhizal colonization were determined. Simultaneous application of a source of organic matter and AMF inoculation significantly increased the OC and biological indices of soil relative to those observed when applying organic matter without AMF inoculation. Additionally, MBC, MBP, ACP and ALP - enzymes activities in the rhizosphere zone were significantly higher than in the non-rhizosphere. AMF increased BR and SIR levels in the rhizosphere by 13.06% and 7.95% compared to non-rhizosphere, respectively. It can be concluded that in calcareous soils with low organic carbon contents, organic amendments such as PWC and PWB can improve soil biological properties by increasing microbial activity and changing the properties of the rhizosphere.

Tree pruning is carried out to reduce conflict with infrastructure, buildings, and any other human activity. However, heavy pruning may result in a diminished tree crown capacity for sugar production and exposure to fungal infection. This risk leads to a decrease in tree stability or vigour. In this work, we analysed the effect of heavy pruning of roadside trees on the photosynthetic performance process compared to neighbouring unpruned trees. Four years of tree crown growth was studied by terrestrial imaging. Tree vitality (Roloff’s classification) and risk (Visual Tree Assessment) were evaluated. Over-pruned trees showed intensified photosynthetic efficiency during the growing season following pruning. Particularly ET0/TR0and PIABStended to increase in pruned trees while higher Fv/Fmwas noted only in late October, suggesting delayed leaf senescence. After four years, pruned trees rebuilt their crowns, however not in their entirety. Results obtained from biometric, vitality, and risk assessment showed high differentiation in pruned tree crown recovery. Our results revealed that despite the intensified efforts of trees to recover from wounding effects, severe pruning evokes dieback occurrence and a higher risk of failure in mature trees.

BACKGROUND Sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.) of the cultivar Grace Star were pruned either in dormancy or in summer. The response was studied by analyzing the sugar content in different organs (flower bud, leaf, and fruit) at three sections of the canopy (inner, outer, and upper) using high-performance liquid chromatography. The effect of summer pruning was evaluated by measuring photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD). RESULTS In this study, the timing of pruning had a significant effect on sugar content in flower buds, leaves, and fruit. Trees pruned in summer had higher glucose, fructose, sorbitol, and sucrose content in flower buds, higher glucose and fructose contents in leaves, and lower fructose, sorbitol, and total sugar content in fruit than in trees pruned at dormancy. Higher average PPFD and lower SPAD values were measured in the inner canopy of trees pruned in summer. All measured parameters were influenced by position in the canopy. The lowest fructose and sorbitol contents in the flower bud, the lowest content of glucose, fructose, sorbitol, total sugars and the highest SPAD values in the leaf, while less dark and lighter fruit were measured in the inner part of the canopy. CONCLUSION Summer pruning affects sugar distribution in the tree by altering irradiation conditions within the canopy. Our results suggest that summer pruning is an effective technological measure to improve sugar content in the buds. A strong, well nourished flower bud is a good indication of high fruit production next season. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Organic fertilization has been proposed as an alternative approach to supply nutrients for crops, in the frame of organic and sustainable agriculture, with the aim to decrease high inorganic fertilization rates, protect the environment and decrease production costs for farmers. Since different types of organic fertilizers, such as manures, olive mill wastewater (OMW), sewage sludge (SS), crushed pruning wastes, composts and cover crops, exist as soil amendments to improve soil fertility, enhance plant nutrition and sustain the productivity of tree crops, their role as biofertilizers has been fully analyzed under the most important published papers. In addition, the benefits and drawbacks of organic fertilization, in a comparative approach with inorganic fertilization, are presented and discussed. Within the most important advantages of organic fertilizers, the enhancement of beneficial soil microorganisms and the improvement in soil physical properties and fertility should be included, while their most important disadvantage is their inability to directly satisfy the prompt N nutritional needs of tree crops, due to slow N mineralization rates. Finally, some novel aspects on the interrelation among innovative organic fertilizers for tree crops, sustainable field management, crop productivity and fruit quality are also included in this review, under the light of the most important and recent research data existing in the literature, with the aim to provide recommendations and future directions for organic fertilizers by tree growers.

Pecan (Carya illinoinensis) trees were pruned using varying intensities at planting to determine the effect of pruning on trunk development and shoot growth. Data on trunk diameter, number and length of shoots, as well as the total shoot growth were recorded annually from a completely randomized design experiment that assigned 0%, 50%, and 75% pruning of above-ground height to single-trunk transplants. The results suggest that pruning intensity has little effect on trunk diameter. The pruned trees had fewer shoots initially and more growth per shoot, leading to a difference of 7 cm/shoot higher for the 50% pruning group than the control group and to a difference of 11 cm/shoot higher for the 75% pruning group compared with the control group. The total length of all shoots was not significantly different across treatments. Because previous research has sometimes shown that pruning increases tree survival and this research shows that trees can recover from pruning, there is no need to change the current recommendation of pruning seedlings at planting.

In adult walnut trees, poor light environments increase the number of catkins on a shoot, reducing the probability of bearing fruits. Growth units become shorter with the aging of the tree, tending to reach a stable length. Tree architecture results from the functioning of populations of meristems across consecutive periods of extension or growing cycles. The study of growth units (GUs) and the type of their axillary meristem lead to a better understanding of tree growth and allow the prediction of tree development under different environmental conditions. To study the effect of position inside the canopy on branch development and the relationship between parent wood and new shoots, 348 GUs from 14 five-to-six-year-old limbs (7 from upper/exposed and 7 from lower/shaded zones within the canopy) were analyzed. Each node was classified according to its axillary meristem type as: 0 (bud, dormant bud, bud scar and dead bud), 1 (fruit and fruit peduncle scar), 2 (male inflorescence or “catkin”, catkin scar and dead catkin) and 3 (branch and branch scar). Data were analyzed through a multinomial logistic model to summarize the distribution of axillary meristem type as a function of explanatory variables. Length of GUs and the number of catkins were modeled through a generalized linear mixed model, whereas the probability of finding fruit on apical nodes was analyzed through generalized additive models. Results show that axillary meristem type is affected by zone, node rank and wood age. On GUs of wood age two or younger, apical buds from upper/exposed zones showed higher probabilities of producing fruits compared with apical buds from lower/shaded zones. The latter was not observed for older wood. In upper/exposed zones, the slope of the relationship between the length of GUs and the length of parent wood increased with wood age. The number of catkins was higher in the lower/shaded than in the upper/exposed zone. The results of this study improve our understanding about walnut tree growth as affected by factors like ontogenetic changes and different light conditions within the tree canopy and might be useful to address tree managements such as training and pruning systems.