How to develop the two-leader branchless tree - Tree Training
Tree Training (cont from last issue)
The Open-Tatura Ground-Level Production System is a function of extensiveness and intensiveness brought about by close planting and a specific method of tree training.
Tree training from the very beginning is critical. One of the most important things is to train the trees early for uniformity right at the start.
This makes the task for the pruner, thinner and picker, when the trees come into bearing, much easier and cheaper if the orchard is the same from tree to tree, leader to leader, and the worker does not have to make decisions.
Small trees
Small trees have better internal light distribution than large trees, resulting in better fruit set, size and quality.
Higher tree densities are possible with smaller trees and as tree density increases so does early production.
There are some rules that are always true: the small tree usually gives you a much bigger surface area compared to volume ratio; and this ratio means the trees receive more sunlight.
This is also true for narrow canopies such as in 2D growing systems if the rows all receive equal sunlight.
Since sunlight is the fuel that runs the tree, you have to make sure that most of this fuel ends up as product that you can sell.
Leaders
The leaders are ideally spaced along the drive row (hand-pruned on two sides of the V) to allow every piece of fruit to be visible from nearly every possible position.
This not only allows the picker vision to see a very high percentage of fruit, it also allows uniform colour and maturity of the crop, enhancing the productivity of the orchard.
Density
The unique tree design allows you to plant at a tree density of 2964 to 4444 trees per hectare, which is presently regarded as very high, but is necessary to quickly obtain the high total canopy surface (cropping) area per hectare; intercept about 70 per cent of PAR and; have many simple and uniform tree structures to carry the fruit for high sustainable yields of high quality fruit.
When fully developed, the large number of branchless leaders (5928 to 8888 leaders per hectare) form Vshaped canopies with a large surface (cropping) area and a simple tree structure that is capable to intercept the amount of sunlight, that is required for high target yields.
Follow these 8 steps to develop two leaders with fruiting units.
The goal is to develop an orchard block in the shortest time from planting to production.
It is important to maintain a hierarchy in the framework of your fruit trees.
The framework, or structure, of a fruit tree consists of different parts of different ages. This framework is developed in sequential stages.
Firstly you must establish the leaders, which form the primary and permanent framework.
The two-leader branchless system bypasses the formation of the lateral branches as the secondary and permanent framework. Instead, the fruiting units become the secondary framework, which remains young and productive because it is continuously renewed.
These two different structural parts form a simple hierarchy which enables the tree to direct its energy into producing more fruit and less wood.
Why two leaders?
It is easier to develop two leaders of equal size than it is to grow four leaders.
With four leaders the inside two shoots will always become more dominant (more vigorous and less fruitful) than the two outside leaders because they are closer to (above) the root system.
As the distance between leaders increases and the number of leaders per tree increases, the development of a uniform canopy not only becomes very difficult, it takes more time and skill than two leaders per tree.
See this article in Tree Fruit Dec 2023
This article is from the Orchard Manual: Open Tatura Ground-Level Production System
