Effect of four different canopy shapes on apple yields

Abstract

The cultivars, Jonathan, Delicious and Granny Smith apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) trees on MM.106, Northern Spy, Seedling and MM.102 rootstocks were trained as-vase, central leader, palmette and Hawkes Bay multi-leade; systems for 18 years. Rootstock significantly affected tree size, and there were interactions of rootstock with training systems or cultivars. There was also an interaction between training ' systems and cultivars. In the early years, while the training systems were being established, fruit yield was inversely related to the severity of the pruning; central leader- and palmette-trained trees had higher yields and tree efficiency than Hawkes Bay trees whose yields and tree efficiency were higher than vase trees. When yields reached maximum and the training systems became well established (after about 8 years of cropping), the total annual yield and tree efficiency per tree of individual training systems within a cultivar and rootstock differed only slightly. Cumulative yields of central leader, palmette and Hawkes Bay were higher than vase in the early years of all training systems and cultivars, while tree size was often smaller. In the latter years, cumulative yields of the central leader, palmette and Hawkes Bay systems remained slightly higher than vase, except with the less vigorous Jonathan and Granny Smith/ MM.102 combinations where yields were similar.