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- Citrus Pruning in the Mediterranean climate: a reviewPublication . Matias, Pedro; Barrote, Isabel; Azinheira, Gonçalo; Continella, Alberto; Duarte, AmilcarPruning is a common practice in citrus for various reasons. These include controlling and shaping the canopy; improving phytosanitary health, productivity, and fruit quality; and facilitating operations such as harvesting and phytosanitary treatments. Because pruning is an expensive operation, its need is sometimes questioned. However, it has been proven to be particularly important in Mediterranean citriculture, which is oriented towards producing fruits for a high-quality demanding fresh market. Herein, we summarize and explain the pruning techniques used in Mediterranean citriculture and refer to the main purposes of each pruning type, considering citrus morphology and physiology.
- Effects of a severe recovery pruning in the productivity and fruit quality of two late orange cultivarsPublication . Matias, Pedro; Duarte, Beatriz; Mendonça, Angélica; Oliveira, Silvino; Barrote, Isabel; Guerrero, Carlos; Duarte, AmilcarCurrently, citrus production plays a major role in worldwide agriculture, especially in the Mediterranean. However, the typical irregular branch development and the formation of large canopies and dense exterior foliage can be significant limitations to light entry and air circulation through the canopy. Consequently, dead branches appear in the inner canopy, which becomes unproductive; flowering and vegetative growth occur only on the outer canopy, and the fruits formed usually are of lower quality. Furthermore, dead branches can be an inoculum for some pathogenic microorganisms, chemical treatments become less efficient since reaching the inner canopy branches becomes more difficult, and fruit harvest becomes harder and more expensive. Pruning is a cultural practice that allows canopy management and the control of the problems mentioned above. However, many citrus growers avoid or postpone pruning, or prune insufficiently due to pruning’s high costs and, sometimes, direct production losses. To assess the effects of pruning, two experiments were performed on large canopy trees: one in ‘Valencia Late’ and the other in ‘Dom João’. In both experiments, some trees were left unpruned (control) and others were severely pruned in November 2019 (recovery pruning). The pruning was made by removing at least 30% of the canopy, with the complete removal of a few large branches. Pruning allowed a significant increase in light availability inside the canopy. In the 2020 harvest, there were no differences in fruit size between treatments. The production decreased in the pruned trees in the ‘Dom João’ experiment, as expected, and was similar in the ‘Valencia Late’ experiment. In the 2021 harvest, in both experiments, the pruned trees had a smaller canopy, and the production was similar in both treatments. However, the fruits from pruned trees were bigger in the ‘Dom João’ experiment and several quality parameters were better in the ‘Valencia Late’ experiment.