Pruning is a horticultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant to improve health, direct growth, or reduce risks. Various techniques include thinning out, heading back, and specialized methods like root pruning and coppicing. Timing for pruning varies, with small branches able to be pruned year-round, while large branches are best pruned during dormancy or mid-summer, avoiding autumn.

1. PRUNING IN
HORTICULTURAL CROPS

2. DEFINITION:
Pruning is a horticultural
and silvicultural practice involving
the selective removal of parts of a
plant, such as branches, buds,
or roots.

3. IMPLEMENTS USED TO PRUNE:
1. Hand pruners,
2.Loopers,
3.Chain saw

4. REASONS TO PRUNE:
Deadwood removal
Shaping (by controlling or
directing growth)
Improving or maintaining
health
Reducing risk from falling
branches

5. TYPES OF PRUNING
1.Thinning out cut
2. Heading back cut
Thinning out cut:
Thinning is the removal of the
entire branch or limb at its base.
Heading back cut:
Heading is cutting back a
portion of a branch to just above a
healthy bud or side branch.

6. Special pruning techniques:
Root pruning:
A circular trench of
45cm is dug out away
from the stem annually
and roots are cut off with
a sharp knife.
After that ,trench is
filled with manures.
It helps in increasing
the production of mass
fibrous roots.

7. Ringing :
In this method ,we
should remove complete
ring of bark from the
branch.
Notching:
It is partial ringing of a
branch above dormant
lateral bud

8. Smudging:
It is a practice of smoking the trees
like mango in Philippines.
Bending:
Bending of branches increasing the
productivity in erect growing varieties.

9. Coppicing:
Removing the main trunk leaving
30-35cm cm stump alone.
This stump starts producing more
vigorous shoots after 6 months.
Only 2-3 shoots are retained per
stump and the rest ones are
completely thinned.

10. Pollarding:
Method of removing
the growing point in
shade trees to encourage
side branches.
Lopping:
Cutting some
branches to reduce
canopy cover in shade
trees to permit more
sunlight

11. Time period:
 Pruning small branches can be done at
any time of year.
 Large branches, with more than 5-10%
of the plant's crown, can be pruned
either during dormancy in winter, or, for
species where winter frost can harm a
recently pruned plant, in mid summer
just after flowering.
 Autumn should be avoided, as the
spores of disease and decay fungi are
abundant at this time of year.