Interaction between leaf pruning and fruiting of pot-grown Valencia orange cuttings

Abstract

The effects of leaf pruning on plants with and without fruit were studied in a 4-month pot trial. Pruning levels were (a) leaves intact, (b) leaves halved, and (c) leaves quartered. Leaves were pruned when they attained full size.

Fruiting had no effect on total dry weight increment whereas leaf pruning reduced it. For fruiting trees, however, leaf pruning affected mainly fruit weight, the vegetative increments differing by only 10.7% of their mean. Fruiting had no significant effect on the proportions of leaf, stem, or root but leaf pruning increased the proportion of leaf at the expense of root. The proportion of fruit in the total increment decreased with increasing severity of leaf pruning.

The intact defruited plant continued to produce flowers throughout the experiment. The total number of leaves produced was approximately halved by fruiting.

The net assimilation rate of intact defruited plants was at least 30% less than that of all other treatments. It is concluded that fruit does not compete successfully for metabolites against a stimulated leaf production.