INFLUENCE OF FRUIT COMPETITION ON SIZE, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY THINNING

摘要

The goal of apple growing is to produce large crops of high quality fruit as efficiently as possible. To do this, we need to understand how the apple tree works and therefore how best to make it work for us. One of the best ways to think about fruit production is to think of the balance of supply and demand in the tree and how we can find the optimum for fruit production while still growing a healthy tree for many years. The approach is to grow a tree and orchard of high supply via good cultural practices, then adjust the crop via thinning to best utilize that supply. Although this paper primarily addresses the demand of the fruit, it is critical to consider at least briefly the supply side of the equation.