cover

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgements

1 Introduction

2 Basic principles for pruning woody crops

2.1 General

2.2 The life cycle of the perennial plant

2.3 The annual cycle of the perennial plant

2.4 The balance between vegetative and reproductive activities

2.5 Autonomy of plant parts

2.6 Photosynthesis and light interception

2.7 Apical dominance and response to inclination

2.8 Cutting

2.9 Other pruning operations

Box: Brief glossary

3 Physiological background for pruning olive trees

3.1 General

3.2 The life cycle

3.3 The growth habit

3.4 The evergreen foliage

3.5 Resprouting and response to cutting

3.6 Reproductive biology and fruiting

3.7 Alternate bearing

3.8 Water use and response to abiotic stress

Box: Classification of buds and shoots

4 Pruning olive trees

4.1 Objectives

4.2 Economic considerations

4.3 Techniques

4.4 Time of pruning

4.5 Intensity of pruning

4.6 Frequency of pruning

4.7 Strategies

Box: Pruning tools

5 Pruning young trees

5.1 Objectives

5.2 Selecting the plant material

5.3 General concepts

5.4 Techniques

5.5 Different training systems

5.6 Different cultivars

Box: Propagation and plant production

6 Pruning mature trees

6.1 Objectives

6.2 Techniques

6.3 Crop load

6.4 Product destination

6.5 Different training systems

6.6 Mechanical pruning

6.7 Adapting traditional systems to mechanical harvesting

6.8 Old trees

6.9 Damaged trees

Box: Canopy architecture

7 Criteria for selecting the training system

7.1 Physiology

7.2 Method of harvesting

7.3 Planting density

7.4 Farm structure and social factors

7.5 Aesthetics

7.6 Revenue

Box: Quick reference for selecting training systems

8 Description of modern training systems

8.1 Vase

8.2 Globe

8.3 Vasebush

8.4 Central leader

8.5 Single-trunk free-canopy (STFC)

8.6 Bush

8.7 The coppiced orchard

8.8 Others

Boxes: Main features of modern training systems

9 Comparisons of training systems

9.1 General

9.2 Technical comparison

9.3 Economic comparison

Box: What’s the best training system?

10 Conclusions

References

Index