Pruning techniques in dormant period of pear trees lay a good foundation for high yield.

Pear tree

Pear trees enter the dormant period, which is a good time for winter shearing. Winter pruning of pear trees is pruning after falling leaves to before sprouting. Its main purpose is to cultivate tree shape, adjust crown structure, cultivate fruiting branches, adjust flower bud quantity, adjust branch quality and quantity, promote ventilation and light transmission, renew and rejuvenate the crown, continue senescence, achieve growth, fruit balance, stable and high yield, and lay a good foundation for high yield. The pruning techniques for different ages are as follows:

1. Pruning young trees

The purpose of pruning is to shape, cultivate the skeleton, promote the branching, expand the crown and promote the early fruit. Generally, we should cut the long branches gently, flatten the upright strong branches, retain the medium and short branches, and make use of the tips of the branches as far as possible to expand the crown. Except for thinning and cutting part of the dense branches, generally do not carry out thinning. All the dense branches, weak branches, disease and insect branches and all the branches that disturb the tree shape on the main branch and the secondary main branch. The long branches and short branches were cultured into the fruiting branch group; the medium and short branches were clipped and the weak ones were released slowly; the branches with small angles were supported, pulled and suspended to expand the branching angle, ease the apical growth advantage and promote the early formation of flower buds.

2. Pruning in full fruiting period

The main purpose of pruning is to control the growth of the tree, control the tree within the predetermined range, keep the crown unshaded, facilitate ventilation and light, maintain a robust and stable moderate tree potential, and prolong the full fruit period. For the plants with stronger tree potential, it is necessary to control the vigorous growth, more thinning and less truncation, go to the erect branches and retain oblique branches, leave more flower buds, press the tree potential with fruit, and make it tend to the moderate tree potential; for the plants with weak tree potential, adopt heavier pruning methods, cut off the strong branches in the middle and remove the weak branches; cut short some of the medium and short fruit branches, remove some flower buds, change the fruiting branches into vegetative branches, and increase the proportion of vegetative branches. For stable plants, focus on pruning the fruiting branch group; for pear trees with a large number of flowers, cut off inferior flower buds, cut short axillary flower branches, and adjust the ratio of fruiting branches to vegetative branches.

3. Pruning in the aging period

Different amounts of pruning were carried out according to the senescence degree of pear trees. The purpose of pruning in this period is to restore the tree potential, rejuvenate the branch group, and prolong the fruiting life. To retract the drooping perennial branches, choose a good upper dorsal branch, make the first branch grow upward, cut off part of the flower buds and remove the weak branches. Try to make use of overgrown branches to enrich the incomplete crown, restore the tree momentum and regain high yield. Serious aging trees, sawing off the crown, leaving only the skeleton of the main side branches to promote hidden bud germination, re-cultivate the crown and restore yield. In the transformation of aging trees, it is necessary to strengthen the management of fertilizer, water, disease and pest control.