This document discusses canopy management of plum trees. It begins with an introduction to plum trees, noting their scientific name and origins in Asia. It then defines canopy management as the manipulation of a tree's branches and foliage to maximize yield and fruit quality. Several training and pruning systems are described to establish the tree structure, including the open central leader system. Regular pruning is needed to renew spurs that plum trees bear fruit on. Other canopy management methods like shoot twisting and bending are also discussed, along with references for further information.

1. Canopy Management
of Plum (Prunus domestica)

2. Contents
 Objective
 Introduction
 Canopy definition
 Requirement of canopy management
 Training and Pruning Systems
 New advancements in management
systems

3. INTRODUCTION
 Scientific name :- Prunus domestica
 Family:- rosaceae
 Chromosome no:- 16
 Origin :- Asia
 Plums may have been one of the first
fruits domesticated by humans. Three of
the most abundant cultivars are not
found in the wild, only around human
settlements: Prunus domestica has been
traced to East European and Caucasian
mountains, while Prunus salicina and
Prunus simonii originated in Asia.

4. What is canopy management
?
 Canopy management of fruit trees
deals with a development and
maintenance of their structure in
relation to size and shape to obtain a
maximum yield and best quality
 In simple language it is merely
manipulation of trees canopy (all the
foliage and branches) in order to
provide aeration to plant for better
crop production.

5. Why Canopy Management ?
 We can keep a control on plant growth
 Increase production with better quality of fruits
 Plant become healthy and provide better
response to cultural practices and other
operations carried out
 Open up the plant and do not allow built up any
type disease or pathogen.
 Unwanted portion of plant grows on expense of
those which are essential.
 Maximizing crop productivity with quality fruit
production
 To produce the strong frame work to plant , with
branches at equidistance in all the directions

6. How to do canopy
management
 Basic methods of canopy
management are
1. Training
2. Pruning
 Other methods include
1. Use of suitable root stock
2. Use of suitable inter stock
3. Use of growth regulators
4. Miscellaneous methods

7. Training of plum
with limited space and especially in colder regions
Plum trees are trained according to vigor and growth
habitat of rootstock.
Mostly we use open central system of training
Top of plant is headed back to 60 cm to stimulate
growth of laterals branches at the time of planting.
During first summer first 3-5 scaffold branches
around the main stem are selected.
Lowest branch should be about 30 cm above the
ground
And others should be 15 cm apart in spiral order
Only wide angled branches should be selected and
others should be pinched off.

8. Cont.
 In first dormant pruning central leader is
headed back and scaffold branches are
allowed to grow whose one third growth
is removed.
 Other unwanted branches on the plants
are also removed
 In second dormant pruning 2-3 well
spaced secondary branches are selected
on each primary scaffold whose 1/3rd -
1/4th portion is pruned off
 Remaining weak and unwanted
intercrossing branches are also removed

10. Cont.
 In third year training consist of thinning
out and heading back of un wanted
branches diseases and interfering
branches
 It’s completed in fourth year. In this
only light pruning and heading back is
preferred.

12. Pruning of bearing trees
 These are pruned to maintain abalance
between vegetative and reproductive
growth
 Pruning during pre-bearing stage is
usually kept light and corrective.
 Light heading back and removing of
water sprouts, dead diseases branches
are practiced.
 Heavy heading back of branches should
be avoided because it produce long
water sprouts.

13. Cont.
 Plum bears on spurs and one year old
shoots life span of spur is 5-6 years
pruning is necessary for spur renewal
and 75% -80% of new growth is removal
of new growth in each season.
 Plum require 25-30 cm of annual
extension growth for proper fruiting.
 So 25%-30% thinning along with 1/3rd to
half heading back of shoot is
recommended for Santa Rosa plum in
Himachal Pradesh.

14. Photograph showing spurs of plum

15. Other methods of canopy
management
 Shoot twisting :- under this method main
focus is carried out to bring the shoots in
initial development stages to best
possible position WRT central leader so
as to enable crushing of apical
dominance and vegetative vigor.
 Shoot bending/ shoot spreading:- the
shoot spreading also caused reduction of
apical dominance(Wilson,2000).
 shoots subjected to spreading exhibited
a higher rate of generative bud
differentiation (Mićić et al., 1998).

16. Spreading of shoots
By plastic twine
(var:-stanely)
By metallic wires (var:-
Čačanska
Rodna)

17. Shoot bending
By toothpicks – variety ’Čačanska
Lepotica

18. Shoot bending
By toothpicks – variety 'Čačanska Rana'

19. References
 Miljan CVETKOVIĆ1, Gordana ĐURIĆ1,2, Nikola MICIC1,2, CANOPY
MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN MODERN PLUM (PRUNUS DOMESTICA
L.) PRODUCTION ON VIGOROUS ROOTSTOCKS.
 Chadha . K L . Hand book of horticulture ( plum)
 Balamohan T.N, Mekala P ., Rajadurai S ., Priyadarshini G ., Prakash k .,
soorianthasundaram K ., Kumar N., CANOPY MANAGEMENT IN MANGO
 www.google.com/images+plum
 http://www.kinggardendesigns.com/how-to-prune-fruit-trees/
 www.google.com/search=centeral+leader+system