Comparison of the yielding of plum, sour cherry, and sweet cherry trees trained to a trellis for mechanical harvesting of fruit with those trained to a leader

Abstract

In 2014, plum, sour cherry and sweet cherry trees were planted in an experimental plot of the Institute of Horticulture – National Research Institute at a distance of 4.5 m between rows and, depending on the cultivar, every 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 m in a row. The trees were trained in the shape of the letter ‘Y’, with the shoots raised at an angle of 20° or 30° to the horizontal, intended for mechanical harvesting of dessert fruit with a harvester attached to a tractor. The two tree canopy formation systems at both shoot inclination angles were compared with the standard spindle crown with a vertical leader, from which the fruit was picked by hand. After 3 years of training the trees, mechanical harvesting of dessert fruit began with a harvester designed at the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice. The trees formed in the shape of the letter ‘Y’ produced comparable yields, and also higher and lower yields, depending on the cultivar, in comparison with the trees trained to a spindle crown.