Page 63 - FRUTAS DEL TRÓPICO

pRuning stRategies to maximize tRopical mango yields fRom the
time of planting to RestoRation of old oRchaRds 63

Figure 6. ‘Haden’ orchard being tip pruned by machete in Honduras (A) and by a mecha-
nical pruning machine attached to a tractor (B).

Figure 7. (A) Shape pruning trees should be performed about one meter below and inside

(solid lines) the final desired dimension after re-growth (dashed lines). Typical dimensions after

re-growth are 4 meters high and sufficiently wide to provide light to the base or skirts of the

canopy within rows. (B) Recently shape pruned ‘Haden’ tree in the same Dominican Republic

orchard as depicted in (A). Remaining non-pruned trees in row are in the background. (C)

Re-growth of the same tree one year later after two tip prunings to increase stem branching,

check extension growth, and retard subsequent flushing to allow flowering in sufficiently ma-

ture stems during the flowering season. Note that trees in the background were pruned soon
after the photo in 7B was taken in the previous year. Orchard trees are now amenable to tip

pruning as part of the annual flowering management program (Davenport, 2003).

Figure 8. One year of accumulated non-pruned growth from a shape pruned ‘Haden’

mango branch in the Dominican Republic. Eleven intercalary units were present on this branch

indicating 11 flushes of vegetative growth (a bit less than one flush per month) occurred sub-

sequent to shape pruning in the previous year.

Figure 9. (A) Overgrown ‘Haden’ mango trees in Venezuela. All fruit production occurs

in the top of the canopy beyond reach of individuals harvesting the fruit. (B) If such trees are

severely pruned at the level indicated by the hand of the plantation manager and the re-growth

is tip pruned each three months through the following year with the last tip prune event oc-

curring in September, the resulting canopy will fill the translucent area and usually go back into

production the following January-February after losing only one season of flowering.

Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas