notching will be of little practical consequence. 

 There are several key factors that must be 

 considered for notching to work effectively and 

 consistently: 



70 



Notched 



Over all experiments 



Buds must be notched within a relatively 

 narrow period of time. We suggest that the 

 time between green tip and 1/2-inch green is 

 most appropriate. 



2. A sufficiently wide strip 

 of bark must be re- 

 moved to allow shoot 

 growth to occur before 

 the notched area heals. 



3. The strip of bark re- 

 moved must extend far 

 enough around the cir- 

 cumference of the 

 branch to prevent influ- 

 ence of the apex on the 

 notched bud. Usually 

 removing bark from 

 about one third of the 

 circumference of the 

 branch and immedi- 

 ately above the bud is 

 sufficient. 



4. The greatest success of 

 notching, i.e. the high- 

 est percent bud break 

 and the longest shoots, 

 will occur from large 

 buds or buds on vigor- 

 ous shoots such as the 

 central leader. 



5. Because of the average 

 success rate of notching 

 of approximately 60 %, 



Figure 8. The overall effects of notching on shoot growth. This 

 figure combines data from four years of experiments utilizing 

 several types of trees and different cultivars growing under 

 different conditions. Data represent the percent of marked 

 buds. 



at least two buds 

 should be notched in a 

 specific location to im- 

 prove the chances of 

 getting the desired 

 branch. 



**J^* *i* *!■* *i* 

 *J* *J% *Y» »j% 



Fruit Notes, Winter, 1992 



15 



