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Influence of pruning intensity on light penetration and leaf physiology in high-density orchards of mango trees

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2006

Ram Roshan Sharma ,
Room Singh  and
Desh Beer Singh
Ram Roshan Sharma
Affiliation:
 Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Abohar-152-116, India
Room Singh
Affiliation:
 Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012, India
Desh Beer Singh
Affiliation:
 Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering and Technology, Abohar-152-116, India
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Abstract

Introduction. High–density orchards of ‘Amrapali’ mango trees become overcrowded and show progressive decline in yield after 14–15 years of planting; hence, trees require pruning for sustainable production. Reduction in yield in such orchards is due to poor light interception and a low photosynthetic rate, which influence vegetative growth, flower initiation, fruit set and, thereby, the fruit yield. Hence, to help design a tree canopy for optimum plant growth and yield, we studied the effect of pruning on light interception and on different leaf physiological parameters of ‘Amrapali’ mango trees under high density. Materials and methods. Sixteen-year-old trees of an ‘Amrapali’ mango high-density orchard were subjected to tipping and light, moderate and heavy pruning; un-pruned trees were used as control. The available photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) and leaf physiological parameters such as rate of photosynthesis, specific leaf weight (SLW) and leaf chlorophyll (Chl) content were measured in pruned and un-pruned tree canopies, following standard procedures. Results and discussion. The percent available PPF was greater in all pruned tree canopies than in un-pruned tree canopies; this could be due to tree openness caused by pruning. The light interception was lower at the lowest height of the tree canopy, probably because the center of the tree canopy was partially blocked by new growth or criss-cross branches. The rate of photosynthesis was greater in leaves that developed in pruned tree canopies than in those developed in un-pruned tree canopies, although there was no difference in SLW; this could be due to better light interception in pruned trees. In contrast, total leaf chlorophyll content was the highest in leaves that developed in un-pruned and tipped tree canopies; this may be due to increased shade owing to overlapping or crowding of tree canopies in these trees, indicating that mango leaves that developed in shade appeared to be more physiologically efficient at synthesizing chlorophyll than leaves that grew in the sun or on the sunny side. Conclusions. The studies indicated that pruning ‘Amrapali’ mango trees by removing about 10–15 cm of the top from old branches improves light penetration, which influences the leaf physiology considerably. Hence, it would be useful for designing high-density ‘Amrapali’ mango orchards to maximize productivity, although it requires additional studies to recommend a particular pruning intensity.

Keywords

IndiaMangifera indicapruningplanting densitylightleavesplant physiologychlorophyllsIndeMangifera indicatailledensité de plantationlumièrefeuillephysiologie végétalechlorophylle
Type
Research Article
Information
Fruits , Volume 61 , Issue 2 , March 2006 , pp. 117 - 123
Copyright
© CIRAD, EDP Sciences, 2006

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References

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