A STUDY OF PRUNING ON SEEDLING PEACHES AT LOW LATITUDE

Five-year-old seedling clingstone peach trees were pruned in winter (WP) and spring (SP) at different levels of pruning severity of fruiting shoots (PSFS), and the elimination or not of the weak unmixed fruiting shoots (WUFS) with only floral buds. Yield was not modified significantly (P≤ 0.05) by pruning time (PT); however it decreases by 43.35 and 56.08% when the level of PSFS, eliminated 25 and 50% of shoot length, respectively. The PT x PSFS interaction affected significantly (P≤ 0.05) fruit size, fruit and shoot growth. Fruits with equatorial diameter > 5.1 cm were increased by WP and remotion of 25 % of shoot length. In a similar way, fruit and vegetative growth were modified. Numbers of fruits with an equatorial diameter smaller than 5.1cm were increased by SP. No combination of pruning factors affected soluble solids. In contrast, fruit firmness and acidity were increased when trees were pruned at 50% of shoot length.