THE IMPACT OF THE PRUNING TIME ON THE BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CHERRY VARIETIES GRAFTED ON MAXMA 14

Abstract

Pruning is a basic procedure in the sweet cherry trees cultivation, which significantly affects the yield and quality of the fruit. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of the pruning time on the biological properties of sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium L.). The orchard in which the research was carried out was established in the central area of the Republic of Moldova in the fall of 2012. The Kordia and Regina sweet cherries, grafted on MaxMa 14, whose crowns had a naturally improved reduced volume, were planted at a distance of 5 x 3 m. The maintenance and fruiting pruning of the sweet cherry trees were done during the dormant and vegetation phases as follows. The flowering and fruit ripening time, the trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA), the number of fruiting buds and the fruit weight and yield were studied. The results showed that the pruning time had had a significant impact on the yield. The data on the yield of the Kordia and Regina sweet cherry varieties grafted on MaxMa 14 are promising and prove that the pruning done in the first decade of September has a positive effect on the fruit yield.