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Continued from Page 27 It involves the almost exclusive use of thinning cuts as opposed to heading cuts. Turkovich heads the dormant bareroot trees at 40 inches at planting to allow space for vertical separation between the future primary scaffolds. Scaffolds are selected during October of the first year of growth and left unheaded. In May of the 2nd year, the three scaffolds are lightly tipped back (approximate height nine feet) to keep them from bending out of position, and approximately a third of new growth is thinned out (in particular, removing crossing-limbs, while allowing flat fruiting wood to develop). In the dormant period between year two and three (or during the summer of year three) the only pruning that occurs is to select or promote the growth of secondary leaders (two per scaffold). Again, no heading cuts are done, and no attempt is made to "open up the tree". Between year three and four, again, no heading cuts. Excessive side limbs are removed or tipped to prevent over-bearing and breakage and tertiary leaders are selected or promoted, two per secondary leader. In subsequent years he continues to avoid heading cuts, never topping the trees. If tree height needs to be reduced, leaders are thinned back to strong side upright limbs three to five feet below the top of the tree. On 18' by 16' spacing, Turkovich reports this orchard training approach has yielded approximately 0.6 tons in the 3rd leaf, 1.2 in the 4th, 3.0 in the 5th and an average of 4.5-5.5 tons/ac of high-quality fruit in the 6th year and beyond. Whether utilizing one of the minimal pruning regimes tested by Bill Krueger or the approach utilized by Joe Turkovich, minimizing severe heading cuts during tree establishment can lead to improved early yields. Tighter Spacing and Greater Light Interception in the Prune Orchard of the Future: Increased Canopy Volume → Increased Light Interception → Increased Yield Potential At maturity, higher yields could be Figure 3. Two clusters of prune yield (dry tons/acre) versus midday light interception (%), grouped by row spacing. Photo courtesy of E. Fichtner and F. Niederholzer. achieved in many California prune orchards by capturing more light with the choice of a more vigorous rootstock, and/or planting at a closer spacing. We all know that fruit and leaves grow on branches, and that fruit need the sugar production from neighboring leaves to grow and sweeten. Thus, one way to think about the yield potential of an orchard is how many fruit-leaf groupings (also called bearing units) are spread out over the orchard. In other words, increasing the amount of space in the orchard taken up by the orchard canopy (instead of open, unused space) will increase your yield potential per acre. One measure of canopy size is how much light that canopy intercepts. Light that is intercepted by the leafy canopy and doesn’t reach the orchard floor is measured as midday photosynthetically active radiation (percent PAR). Work by the laboratory of Bruce Lampinen, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) orchard specialist at UC Davis, has found that for every 1 percent of light that an almond orchard captures there is an average of 40 lbs/ac increased yield in all measured orchards (Figure 2, see page 27). Lampinen has found this relationship between greater light capture and greater yield potential in both almond and walnut production. Light interception isn’t the only determinant of yield of course, therefore these are “potential” yields and depend on proper irrigation, fertilization, pest and disease management. Light Interception and Yield Potential in Prune Production Although the relationship between canopy light interception and yield has not been as well studied in prune production, there does appear to be a clear relationship from the limited data available (see Figure 3). Although there is substantial variation, the denser 14 feet x 17 feet planting in this example is achieving between 60-80 percent light interception and is clearly out yielding the wider spaced plantings that are only capturing 30-45 percent of midday light, common in many California prune orchards. The 16 foot in-row spacings of the wider plantings appear as discrete trees (they do not touch), while the spacing 14 feet by 17 feet have created continuous hedgerows (Figure 4, see page 30). This tighter (183 trees/acre) spacing illustrates the 14 feet by 17 feet 6-8 dry tons/ac yield potential of prune orchards in excellent cropping years. Prune orchard spacing has historically been determined by the constraints of harvest equipment. However, some growers are instead shifting this paradigm and beginning to modify their equipment to get through tighter spacings. Many questions and potential challenges arise due to this shift in paradigm and will be addressed through experimentation by innovative growers and UC researchers. For more considerations impacting Continued on Page 30 28 Progressive Crop Consultant September /October 2019
Next year Starts Now Apply KTS® Orchards consume large amounts of potassium as the crop matures. Almonds remove 91.2 pounds of K 2 O per 1,000 kernel pounds every season. KTS® is the clear, chloride-free liquid fertilizer with the highest potassium and sulfur content available. KTS® provides 3.0 lbs of K 2 O and 2.1 lbs of sulfur per gallon available for boosting crop resistance to environmental stress. Applying KTS® is easy as it is 100% soluble and compatible with many fertilizers. Crop Vitality Specialists can provide assistance regarding application, blending, field studies and technical data. Start a Conversation today with Your Crop Vitality Specialist Call (800) 525-2803, email info@cropvitality.com or visit CropVitality.com ©2019 Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. All rights reserved. KTS ® is a registered trademark of Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. September /October 2019 www.progressivecrop.com 29
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