Bioscience Methods 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 32-42 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 38 light pruning had a high yield but a low proportion of high-quality fruits, and its commercial competitiveness was affected; medium pruning achieved a better balance between yield and quality (Robinson et al., 2006). The comprehensive quality scoring results also showed that the heavy pruning treatment had the highest score, followed by the medium pruning, and the light pruning had the lowest score, which was consistent with the trends of each individual indicator. This indicates that increasing the winter pruning intensity generally benefits the improvement of fruit quality, but it needs to be weighed and chosen based on the yield requirements. In actual production, if the target market is for high-end fresh sales, a focus on pruning for high-quality fruits can be prioritized; if more emphasis is placed on yield or processing, a slightly lighter pruning can be adopted, but it is necessary to prevent excessive decline in quality that may affect the income. 6 Comprehensive Analysis of the Coordination between Winter Pruning Intensity and Yield and Quality 6.1 Impact of winter pruning intensity on per-plant yield and stable yielding capacity The intensity of winter pruning directly affects the number of fruits produced by each plant in the following year, thereby determining the per-plant yield. Light pruning results in the most buds remaining, and the highest number of per-plant set fruits and yield in the current year; heavy pruning results in the fewest buds remaining, and the lowest per-plant yield; moderate pruning is in the middle. However, high yield often contradicts stable yield. Light pruning causes the tree to be overburdened, resulting in high yield in the current year but possibly depleting the tree's vigor, leading to poor flower bud differentiation and easy reduction in yield in the following year or even the occurrence of alternate years (Robinson et al., 2006). Continuous light pruning with high load will cause insufficient nutrient accumulation in the plant and reduced adaptability, resulting in more significant yield fluctuations under unfavorable climatic conditions. Heavy pruning, due to the low load, allows the tree to have more nutrients for its own growth and storage, enabling the plant to recover its growth vigor and produce high-quality flower buds in the following year, reducing the likelihood of alternate years and achieving more stable yield. Moderate pruning has an appropriate per-plant fruit load, does not severely weaken the tree's vigor, and thus has smaller fluctuations in yield between years. Overall, light pruning can achieve short-term high yield but poor stable yield; heavy pruning leads to reduced yield in the current year but is beneficial for the plant to accumulate nutrients and achieve long-term stable yield; moderate pruning achieves a balance between yield and stable yield. Therefore, when formulating pruning plans, one should weigh immediate yield and long-term stable yield, and choose an appropriate pruning intensity based on production goals. 6.2 Analysis of the relationship between result branch ratio and fruit quality The result branch ratio is a key indicator that links the intensity of winter pruning and fruit quality . Generally speaking, an excessively high result branch ratio indicates that the tree is overburdened with fruit, resulting in reduced nutrient allocation to individual fruits and a decline in fruit quality; conversely, an excessively low result branch ratio suggests a lack of fruit production, although the quality of individual fruits is high, the total yield is insufficient (Costa et al., 2004). The correlation analysis in this study indicates that indicators such as the average weight of a single fruit and the soluble solids content of kiwifruit are significantly negatively correlated with the result branch ratio: when the result branch ratio increases from approximately 50% to above 70%, the average weight of a single fruit and sugar content of the fruit significantly decrease (Richardson et al., 2004). On the contrary, when the result branch ratio is controlled at around 50%, the fruit quality and yield achieve a better balance (Fallahi et al., 2002). Based on this, it can be speculated that there is an appropriate range of result branch ratio (approximately 50%)in a kiwifruit orchard, within which both high fruit quality and a certain yield can be achieved. Once the result branch ratio is too high, fruit quality will rapidly decline; if it is too low, the yield potential of the orchard will not be fully exploited. In production, by adjusting the intensity of winter pruning and pruning flowers and fruits, the result branch ratio can be maintained within a reasonable range to achieve coordinated development of fruit quality and yield. 6.3 Evaluation of appropriate winter pruning intensity and optimization suggestions Based on the above analysis, the suitability of different winter pruning intensities can be evaluated and optimization suggestions can be proposed (Robinson et al., 2006). Heavy pruning focuses on improving fruit
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