Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 147-153 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 147 Research Report Open Access Impact of Autumn Pruning and N-K Ratio Regulation on Yield Performance of Loquat in the Following Year Wenzhong Huang CRO Service Station, Sanya Tihitar SciTech Breeding Service Inc., Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: wenzhong.huang@hitar.org Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol.15, No.4 doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0017 Received: 28 Jun., 2025 Accepted: 31 Jul., 2025 Published: 09 Aug., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang W.Z., 2025, Impact of autumn pruning and N-K ratio regulation on yield performance of loquat in the following year, Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 15(4): 147-153 (doi: 10.5376/tgmb.2025.15.0017) Abstract This study summarized the effects of autumn pruning and the regulation of the nitrogen-potassium (N-K) ratio on the yield and fruit quality of loquats. Pruning in autumn can promote the growth of new shoots, make the tree crown more reasonable, and also accumulate more nutrients for photosynthesis. All these lay a foundation for flower bud differentiation and fruit growth. The regulation of the ratio of nitrogen to potassium can help make nutrient distribution more reasonable, make trees more resilient, and also promote sugar transportation, thereby increasing yield and quality. The combined use of these two management methods can make the vegetative growth and fruiting growth of loquats more balanced, the size of the fruits more uniform, and also extend the high-yield period of the orchard. Based on some field cases, this study also proposed more appropriate pruning methods and more precise nitrogen and potassium management plans. This study aims to provide a reference for high-yield and high-quality production of loquat, making the planting management more scientific and effective. Keywords Loquat; Autumn pruning; N-K ratio; Fruit quality; Cultivation management 1 Introduction Loquat is an evergreen fruit tree. Its flower bud differentiation and fruit development cycle is very long, lasting from autumn and winter to the following spring and summer (Zhao, 2024). The management after harvest has a significant impact on the yield and fruit quality in the following year (Pareek et al., 2014; Zargar et al., 2018). Pruning is a commonly used post-harvest management method, which can affect flower bud differentiation and fruit cell division by regulating branch growth and leaf quantity, as well as change fruit size and total yield in the following year (Gupta et al., 2022; Su et al., 2024). Appropriate flower bud thinning and reasonable nutrient management can lead to better fruit quality and more stable yield (Nordi et al., 2025). Pruning and regulation of the nitrogen-potassium ratio are two important measures in loquat cultivation. Pruning can promote the growth of new shoots and leaves and provide more photosynthetic products for fruit development (Su et al., 2024). The reasonable adjustment of the ratio of nitrogen to potassium is conducive to the rational distribution of nutrients, promotes cell division and fruit enlargement, thereby enhancing yield and quality. In other fruit trees and crops, nitrogen-potassium ratio management has been proven to significantly affect yield and nutrient use efficiency (Gu et al., 2017; Ali et al., 2019; Fallah et al., 2021), but there are not many systematic studies on loquat. This study analyzed the combined effects of autumn pruning and the regulation of nitrogen-potassium ratio on the second-year yield and fruit quality of loquat, and explored the synergistic mechanism of the two. This study aims to provide theoretical references and management suggestions for the efficient and high-quality production of loquats. 2 Autumn Pruning Practices in Loquat 2.1 Typical timing and intensity levels for autumn pruning Autumn pruning of loquats is usually carried out from the time of fruit harvest to the growth of new shoots, with the main purpose of promoting new shoots and adjusting the tree shape. Pruning is divided into three types: mild, moderate and severe. In recent years, some studies have proposed the “double retraction” pruning method, which
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