The Effects of Dormant Pruning Treatments On Leaf, Shoot and Root Production From Bare-Root Malus sargentii

Abstract

The effects of dormant branch thinning and heading on leaf, shoot and root production were investigated for two-year-old, branched, bare-root trees of Malus sargentii (Sargent crabapple). Each pruning treatment removed 50% of branch length and number of buds. Thinning reduced leaf weight in the subsequent growing season, but heading did not. Compensatory increases in shoot growth from the retained branches were observed for both treatments. Treatments did not affect root weights or leaf: new root ratios. The usefulness of the shoot:root ratio as a measure of the balance between transpiration and root water absorption is discussed.