Abstract
The effect of intensity and time of pruning was studied in a young densely planted guava (Psidium guajava L.) orchard during 1991, and the residual effect of pruning was studied in the following year. An increase in plant height and a reduction in plant width were observed with an increase in pruning intensity up to 75%; their values differed significantly at 50 and 75% pruning intensity over the control. The time of pruning did not influence these parameters significantly. Pruning at intensities above 25% reduced the fruit weight significantly during 1991 but not in 1992. Highest fruit yield (9.18 kg tree-1) was obtained with 75% pruning intensity in the following year. The optimum time for pruning was observed to be February. The quality of fruit was also influenced by pruning. The results indicated that pruning at 25% in February could regulate fruit yield without affecting the fruit quality under high-density planting.
