Mechanical pruning management in two-dimensional apple orchards
Renaldo Borges de Andrade Júnior; Daiana Petry Rufato; Tiago Afonso de Macedo; Leo Rufato.
Modern fruit production faces one of its greatest challenges of recent decades: the shortage of skilled and available labor for field activities. In apple production systems, operations such as pruning, thinning, and harvesting still rely heavily on manual labor, which increases costs and limits orchard expansion in many producing regions.
In this context, mechanization emerges as a key factor in ensuring the sustainability and competitiveness of the apple production chain. The adoption of simplified training systems, such as two-dimensional orchards—where plants are organized in height and width along the planting row—reduces labor dependence, increases efficiency, improves fruit uniformity and quality, and standardizes management throughout the production cycle.
Among the technologies gaining prominence are mechanical pruning and rootstock selection, a decisive factor that influences vigor, precocity, productivity, and adaptation to the production system. In modern models, rootstocks become the structural foundation of orchard success.
In Brazil, many orchards still use high-vigor rootstocks, which present limitations when the goal is to work with high density and mechanization. In this scenario, Geneva® series rootstocks offer highly desirable agronomic traits, providing different levels of vigor control and adaptability to new cultivation systems.
Figure 1 – Commercial Geneva® series rootstocks and their vigor levels in relation to traditional rootstocks in Brazil.
Source: Fruticultura CAV/UDESC (2025).
Successful adaptation of two-dimensional orchards depends not only on mechanized pruning but also on integrating this practice with the use of plant growth regulators capable of controlling vegetative growth.
The Pome Fruit Research Group at CAV/UDESC is evaluating the most suitable timing for mechanical pruning in apple trees grown in this system, considering different rootstocks and the use of growth regulators. The objective is to identify the optimal timing that provides greater efficiency, cost reduction, and improved fruit quality and productivity.
The study is being conducted in a commercial orchard owned by Campi, in Vacaria-RS, with the cultivars ‘Maxi Gala’ and ‘Fuji Suprema’, established in 2019 under high-density conditions and trained in a multi-leader system. Five experiments are being carried out, each with a different Geneva® rootstock: G.202, G.213, G.41, G.210, and G.814.
The results already show that mechanical pruning reduces operation time by more than 30% compared to manual pruning, reinforcing its viability as a tool to optimize management and make production more sustainable. In terms of productivity, Maxi Gala responded better to combined spring + summer pruning, while Fuji Suprema achieved superior performance under the same treatment, outperforming all others.
Chart 1 – Operational pruning time in a two-dimensional apple orchard system grafted onto G.202 rootstock under different management strategies. Vacaria – RS. 2024/25 season.
Source: Renaldo Borges de Andrade Júnior (2025).
In addition, fruit quality stood out: in Maxi Gala, the summer + spring combination resulted in a higher percentage of Category 1 fruits; in Fuji Suprema, all treatments showed a high proportion of premium fruits, with emphasis on summer + winter.
Chart 2 – Effect of different pruning strategies on productivity in the ‘Maxi Gala’ cultivar in a multi-leader training system. Vacaria – RS. 2024/25 season.
Source: Renaldo Borges de Andrade Júnior (2025).
Chart 3 – Effect of different pruning strategies on productivity in the ‘Fuji Suprema’ cultivar in a multi-leader training system. Vacaria – RS. 2024/25 season.
Source: Renaldo Borges de Andrade Júnior (2025).
Chart 4 – Distribution of fruit categories in ‘Maxi Gala’ apple trees under different pruning timings in a multi-leader system. Vacaria – RS. 2024/25 season.
Source: Renaldo Borges de Andrade Júnior (2025).
In summary, the integration of Geneva® rootstocks and mechanical pruning proves to be a promising path to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness in apple production in Brazil. Higher productivity, better-quality fruit, and optimized operations: the future of orchards is already happening.
