Conclusions . From our experience at the 

 HRC, we conclude that it is possible, using first- 

 stage IPM strategies and technologies, for some 

 commercial growers to further reduce amounts of 

 pesticide used, and consequently, reduce costs (at 

 least in certain interior blocks) without 

 sacrificing fruit quality. We urge growers to 

 consider a scouting/low-spray approach in a trial 

 block so that they can achieve the lowest possible 

 spray usage from first-stage IPM. As growers 



move beyond pesticide management toward the 

 "Second-Stage" of IPM, pest management 

 potentially will include such techniques as 

 resistant cultivars, insect growth regulators, 

 predator/parasite release or enhancement, 

 trapping out pests, mating disruption, oviposition 

 deterrents, etc. We are hopeful that second- 

 stage IPM research (now under way) will result 

 in even greater savings in pesticide cost and 

 improvement in farm profitability. 



0^ 4|k ^* ^p ^p 



DORMANT PRUNING TO IMPROVE PACKOUT 

 OF MCINTOSH 



Duane W. Greene and Wesley R. Autio 



Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Massachusetts 



A U. S. Extra Fancy Mcintosh apple must 

 have at least 50% typical red color, and an apple 

 will develop red color only if it is exposed to the 

 sun. The higher the light intensity reaching an 

 apple, the earlier its red color will develop and 

 the more intense its red color will be. The type, 

 severity, and location of the pruning cuts 

 determine the extent to which fruit on a tree will 

 be exposed to adequate light for good red color 

 development. Therefore, it is important for all 

 growers to conduct dormant pruning that will 

 assure good light penetration into the tree canopy 

 and high packout. 



Types of pruning cuts and their use . Three 

 basic types of cuts are used during the pruning of 

 apple trees. These are described below. 



1. Tliinning-out. These are cuts that involve 

 removal of an entire shoot or branch at its 

 junction with another shoot, a branch, or 

 the trunk. This type is the most useful 

 pruning cut on mature trees. It can be 

 used to redirect branch growth and open up 

 the tree for greater light penetration. 



2. Stubbing. This type of cut involves the 

 removal of a portion of a branch back into 

 2-year-old or older wood. Stubbing is 



usually done to reduce the length of a 

 limb or to stiffen a limb so that it does 

 not bend down and shade branches below. 

 Lateral branching may be increased by this 

 type of a cut. Excessive regrowth from 

 stubbing can be reduced by cutting to a 

 weak sideshoot. 



3. Heading. A heading cut removes a portion 

 of 1-year-old wood. On bearing trees 

 heading cuts are not recommended, because 

 they encourage the development of lateral 

 shoots clustered near the cut, which have 

 narrow, weak crotch angles. If heading 

 cuts are made on a tree over a number of 

 years, a mantle of bushy growth will 

 develop that will inhibit light penetration. 

 Since some of the most productive buds 

 are removed each year and others are 

 forced to grow into lateral shoots, 

 cropping potential on these trees is 

 reduced considerably. 



Pruning the bearing tree . The goals of 

 dormant pruning of mature apple trees are to 

 remove unproductive wood, to encourage the 

 continued development of productive wood, and 

 to allow maximum light penetration into the tree 

 canopy. The types of pruning that are most 



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