Bioscience Methods 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 32-42 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 34 In China, although the development of kiwifruit industry is relatively late, winter pruning technology research has gradually deepened in recent years. Many experiments have compared the effects of heavy pruning and light pruning on the sprouting, flowering, and yield of kiwifruit, and proposed corresponding pruning parameter suggestions. Overall, both domestic and foreign countries recognize the important role of winter pruning in kiwifruit yield and quality, but the optimal pruning patterns for different varieties and ecological conditions still need further exploration (Patiyal et al., 2024). 2.2 The mechanism of the effect of pruning intensity on the formation of fruiting branches of fruit trees Pruning intensity regulates the distribution of vegetative growth and reproductive growth by influencing the germination of buds and the growth of new shoots (Schupp et al., 2017). Heavy pruning removes a large number of buds and shoots, concentrating nutrients on the remaining few buds, resulting in a high germination rate and robust shoots for the following spring, but a decrease in the total number of fruiting branches (Al-Saif et al., 2023). At the same time, heavy pruning weakens the apical dominance, stimulating the germination of hidden buds at the lower part, and accelerating the renewal of new shoots (Suchocka et al., 2021). Light pruning retains a large number of buds and shoots, distributing the nutrients and hormones of the tree body, and each bud receives limited resources, leading to a decrease in the germination rate and growth vigor of the shoots. Although the total number of new shoots increases, many of them are weak, and the quality of the fruiting branches is not high. Additionally, the large retention of top buds makes the apical dominance still prominent, and some lower buds are inhibited and unable to germinate (Tosto et al., 2023). Thus, heavy pruning tends to form fewer but stronger fruiting branches, while light pruning produces more but weaker fruiting branches. Different pruning intensities largely determine the differences in the number and quality of fruiting branches in the following year. 2.3 Research status and limitations of the relationship between pruning measures and fruit quality Studies have shown that the fruit load and tree crown structure have a significant impact on fruit quality (Bacelar et al., 2024). Moderate winter pruning of kiwifruit improves the ventilation and light penetration of the tree crown, enhances photosynthetic efficiency and leaf-to-fruit ratio, allowing each fruit to obtain more nutrients, thereby increasing the weight of each fruit and the content of soluble solids (Liao et al., 2020; Patiyal et al., 2024). On the contrary, insufficient pruning leads to excessive fruiting, resulting in insufficient nutrition for each fruit, often causing problems such as smaller fruits, reduced sugar content, and delayed maturity, which leads to a decline in quality (Al-Saif et al., 2023). Many experiments have qualitatively described the effects of different pruning methods on the appearance and internal quality of fruits, such as heavy pruning can increase the sugar content and vitamin C content of the fruits (Shashi et al., 2022). However, the underlying mechanism by which pruning intensity affects fruit quality is still unclear, and the interactive effects of pruning and quality under different ecological conditions have not been systematically studied. At the same time, most studies are limited to data from a single year and ignore the influence of interannual climate and tree vigor changes. In the future, long-term multi-factor experiments combined with physiological index analysis are needed to comprehensively reveal the relationship between pruning measures and fruit quality, providing scientific basis for optimizing kiwifruit pruning regulation. 3 Experimental Materials and Research Methods 3.1 Overview of the Experimental Area and Test Kiwifruit Varieties This experiment was conducted in a standardized kiwifruit orchard in Zhouzhi, Shaanxi Province. The climate is temperate continental, the soil is mainly loam with good fertility and a thick underground layer. The orchard planted 'Hayward', a relatively common variety of green-fleshed kiwifruit. All the trees used in the experiment were female, 8 years old, in their peak fruiting stage, and growing relatively uniformly. The orchard used T-shaped trellises, with a plant spacing of 3 meters×4 meters. To make the experiment more comparable, the selected plants underwent uniform fertilizer and water management and pest and disease treatment the previous autumn, ensuring that everyone started at a similar level. Finally, several trees with similar growth were selected and randomly divided into several treatment groups according to the plan. 3.2 Winter pruning intensity treatment settings and experimental design The winter pruning is carried out during the dormant period after fruit harvest. The severity of pruning is
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