ABSTRACT
Effects of summer pruning and bark girdling on cherimoya (custard apple) (Annona cherimola Mill.) var. Concha Lisa

Bruno Razeto M.1 y Evelyn Díaz de Valdés I.
 

A trial was carried out in a 7-year-old cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.) orchard, var. Concha Lisa, located in Hijuelas (32º 46' S. lat.; 71º 08' W long.), Quillota Province, V Region, Chile. Treatments conducted on a completely randomized design, with 5 replicates of one tree each, were as follows: shoot tipping at 6 buds, shoot tipping at 10 buds, shoot tipping at 10 buds plus deshooting, bark girdling, bark girdling plus shoot tipping at 10 buds and bark scoring. The evaluations were made through measurements of trunk diameter, shoot length, pruning weight, final fruit set percentage, fruit production, fruit weight and shape, soluble solids concentration in the fruit and harvest date. The treatments of shoot tipping at 10 buds and its combination with bark girdling obtained the best results, with an increase of 22% in yield and 25% in fruit weight, respectively. Shoot tipping also significantly decreased shoot length according to the date it was done.

Keywords: shoot tipping, deshooting, vegetative growth, fruit production, fruit weight, harvest date.
1 Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Ciencias Agronómicas. Casilla 1004, Santiago. E-mail: brazeto@uchile.cl.