Fruit Tree Training System and Architecture
1. Presentation
Characterization of the technique
Description of the technique :
Information originally from the Guide for the design of fruit production systems saving phytosanitary products (2014) / Technical sheet no. 3. For more information see link
The technique:
Tree training is a cultural control method. This technique does not directly belong to the field of plant protection but can help limit the appearance and development of pests and/or provide the crop with means to defend itself.
In fruit production, the management of tree architectural training (winter pruning, summer pruning, fruit form…), in interaction with the management of fruit load, irrigation, and fertilization, strongly impacts tree vigor, which influences pest development by modifying the microclimate (ventilation, wetness duration, light exposure) within the canopy and by the growth dynamics of organs modulating periods of sensitivity or attractiveness depending on the development stage. Tree training also modifies the spatial distribution of organs, which can influence the development of certain pests (aphid gray…) or the spread of diseases.
The choices of training system (planting density, tree shape…) in relation to the selection of the "variety x rootstock" pair are decisive for orchard management. These choices, interacting with the annual management of architecture and fruiting pruning, are key elements for the technical and economic success of the orchard, as they strongly influence the speed of entry into production, the regularity of agronomic performance, fruit quality, and labor time.
Interventions for tree training combine many techniques such as winter and summer pruning (summer pruning), manual bud removal (extinction on apple tree, tipping on peach tree), bending, etc. These operations aim to direct tree development and growth toward objectives adapted to commercial exploitation (fruit forms ensuring production regularity and facilitating cultural operations, or limiting manual operations…), but also to increase light penetration and its distribution within the canopy (flower induction, production of quality fruits). These interventions can also play a role in pest development directly or indirectly.
> Indirect action via modification of microclimate and tree vigor :
Summer pruning interventions during vegetation play an important role in some fruit species by removing excess "vigor" (water sprouts, excessive shoots) favorable to some pests. By improving solar radiation distribution, summer pruning optimizes leaf photosynthesis and "illuminates" fruits, contributing to their quality (sugar composition, coloration).
In peach, this technique also helps avoid the establishment of a microclimate favorable to diseases such as brown rot of stone fruits. It has been shown that early interventions aimed at removing young shoots (early manual pulling) to optimize light distribution within the canopy significantly reduce damage related to brown rot in the absence of fungicides. Similarly, by reducing the intensity of winter pruning, the balance between short and long shoots is modified, reducing the intensity of attacks by the green aphid.
In apple, recent studies confirm the influence of tree architecture on pest development. However, the response differs depending on pests and tree training methods, probably due to complex mechanisms involved (growth rate and organ distribution within the canopy, microclimate, etc.), making practical use difficult.
Training systems and tree architecture management thus appear as potential action levers. Their complex mode of action and the timing of operations require finding compromises between efficiency and profitability. However, it appears that for diseases favored by humidity within the canopy or leaf wetness, tree training creating some canopy porosity is a way to significantly reduce risks.
> Direct action by removing infested organs or suppressing access to the canopy :
Pruning interventions can also be a significant direct action lever against certain pests. For example, pruning water sprouts on pear tree reduces psylla populations (prune when psylla larvae are present). Similarly, summer pruning can reduce woolly aphid populations (removal of affected shoots). Pruning lower branches is a control method against earwigs on stone fruits by reducing access paths to the tree canopy.
Implementation period On established crop
Spatial scale of implementation Plot
Application of the technique to...
Regulation
2. Services provided by the technique
3. Effects on the sustainability of the cropping system
Environmental criteria
Agronomic criteria
Economic criteria
Social criteria
4. Favored or disfavored organisms
Pests favored
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Pests disfavored
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Beneficials favored
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
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Beneficials disfavored
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Type | Details |
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Favored climatic and physiological accidents
| Organism | Impact of the technique | Details |
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Disfavored climatic and physiological accidents
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5. For further information
- Why and how to better understand the tree. in MAFCOT : Knowing the tree to better train it
- -Lauri P.-E., Belouin A., Cardon J.-C., Cochet P., Crespel B., Crété X., Delort F., Dupont N., Ferré G., Florens B., Hucbourg B., Lespinasse J.-M., Mayor P., Méry D., Navarro E., Orain G., Plénet D., Ramon-Guilhem M., Simard V., Thiéry D.
Réussir Fruits & Légumes, Supplement to 247, 4-5., 2006
- The apple tree and its pests, the dynamic and structural components of the tree modulate infestation and infection dynamics.
- -Lauri P.-E., Simon S., Brun L., Morel K., Combe F., Defrance H., Hemptinne J.-L., Hucbourg B., Regnard J.-L.
Innovations agronomiques 15, 65-77., Peer-reviewed article, 2011
- Summer pruning of peach : is early manual removal of vegetative shoots an alternative technique?
- -Navarro E., Plénet D.
Réussir Fruits & Légumes 209, 38-41., 2002
- Does manipulation of fruit-tree architecture affect the development of pests and pathogens? A case study in an organic apple orchard.
- -Simon S., Lauri P.-E., Brun L., Defrance H., Sauphanor B.
J. Hort. Sci. Biotech. 81(4), 765-773., Peer-reviewed article, 2006
- Apple orchards in organic farming : impact of training systems on pests.
- -Verpont F., Zavagli F., Giraud M., Favareille J.
Infos-Ctifl, 298, 30-35., Technical brochure, 2014
6. Keywords
Pest control method : Cultural control
Mode of action :
Type of strategy regarding pesticide use :
Annexes
S'applique aux cultures suivantes
