A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF PRUNING TO DELAY FLOWERING IN MANGO TREES

Pruning experiments were conducted in five year old mango trees Mangifera indica L. cv. Zihua on Oct. 3, 1993 and repeated on Sept. 20,1994. Results showed that heavy pruned trees flowered 20 days later than light and medium pruned trees, and that full bloom was delayed by 8 days with heavy pruning, but the crop level decreased probably because of delayed accumulation of carbohydrate reserves by strong regrowth after heavy pruning, resulting in a decrease of flowering shoot rate . No fruit quality decrease was observed with heavy pruning. Crop level of heavy pruned trees in 1994/1995 was improved as the result of practicing earlier and less severe pruning.