Selective Hand Pruning Does Not Reduce Yield Of ‘Farthing’ (Vaccinium corymbosym Interspecific Hybrids)

Abstract

Current pruning practices in blueberry production in the Southeastern United States exclude selective fall pruning. Most growers practice a non-selective version of mechanized summer pruning (hedging) with the primary purpose of reducing plant height. Hedging is the preferred pruning method because of its low labor requirements and cost-effectiveness. In contrast, selective fall pruning maintains a balanced vegetative and reproductive growth, but there is limited research on the effects of fall pruning or hand selective pruning on the yield and fruit quality of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids, SHB). This study evaluated six pruning treatments applied to the SHB cultivar ‘Farthing’: T1: ‘hedge summer/hand pruned fall’; T2: ‘hedge summer/tipping in fall’ (commercial practice); T3: ‘hand pruned fall’; T4: ‘hand pruned summer/hand pruned fall’; T5: ‘no pruning or hedging’; T6: ‘hedge and hand pruned summer/hand pruned fall’. Each treatment was tested using a complete randomized block design in a commercial farm located in South Georgia. Our results showed that selective hand pruning did not reduce total yield compared to the commercial hedging practice. However, selective hand pruning significantly increased berry size and weight while advancing ripening, which could provide growers with earlier market entry opportunities. Our study demonstrates that selective fall pruning may be a promising tool for enhancing fruit quality and optimizing early-season pricing for SHB blueberry producers in the Southeastern United States. Nevertheless, further research into cost-effectiveness and long-term impacts on the productivity of SHB is still needed.