11- 



and pinching. Even though we stubbed shoots on Cortland/7A and Red 

 Prince Delicious/26 on June 21, July 5, or July 19 many were not 

 vigorous enough at time of pruning to produce an axillary flowering 

 spur or shoot. As previously mentioned, many of the stubs failing 

 to make regrowth in 1977 v\rere dead in 1978. 



Heading and pinching on Cortland/7A in 1976 and 1977 caused 

 formation of some flowering axillary spurs or the development of 

 axillary shoots with a terminal flower bud. Since Cortland normally 

 produces some terminal flower buds, a terminal flower can form in 

 spite of considerable extension growth of axillary shoots from the 

 first leaf axil below the pruning cut. On Cortland we believe that 

 summer pruning merely eliminated some potential flower buds and 

 stimulated the formation of others since total bloom was not increased 

 in either year following pruning. 



Heading and pinching procedures failed to induce the formation 

 of flowering spurs or shoots on Starkrimson Delicious/106 and Red 

 Prince Delicious/106 in 1976 but were somewhat successful on Red 

 Prince Delicious/106 and Red Prince Delicious/26 in 1977, probably 

 because conditions were very favorable for flower bud initiation as 

 evidenced by the snowball bloom in most orchards in 1978. 



The Red Princ 

 the 1st leaf axil 

 were initiated on 

 initiated on axill 

 leaf axil below th 

 26, vvfhich had low 

 occurred on axilla 

 leaf axil . As wit 

 by the summer prun 

 pruned by heading 

 2nd and 3rd leaf h 

 trees . 



e Delicious/10 

 following head 

 this axillary 

 ary spurs or £ 

 e pruning. In 

 to moderate vi 

 ry spurs and s 

 h Cortland, to 

 ing . Furtherm 

 cuts both in 1 

 ad significant 



6 made considerable 

 ing and pinching and 

 growth. However, fl 

 hort shoots developi 

 the case of the Red 

 gor in 1977, flower 

 hoots from both the 

 tal bloom was not in 

 ore. Red Prince Deli 

 976 and 1977 when th 

 ly less bloom in 197 



regrowth from 



no flower buds 

 ower buds were 

 ng from the 2nd 



Prince Delicious/ 

 bud initiation 

 1st, and 2nd 

 creased in 1978 

 ciousA06 summer 

 ey were in their 

 8 than the control 



Heading and pinching in late-June and early-July were most 

 effective while pruning in mid-July or later had little effect on 

 flower initiation (Table 1). 



TABLE 1. Time of summer pruning and percentage of tagged axillary spurs or 

 shoots that had terminal buds that bloomed the following year. 



Time of pruning 



7/1/76 



7/1S/76 



8/2/76 



