Poda drástica de verão na produção e avaliação de doenças em amoreiras-pretas em região subtropical

Abstract

Blackberries are widespread in temperate zones, but some cultivars require few hours of cold and can be explored in areas with milder winter, notably in subtropical regions. Given the above, the current experiment aimed to evaluate different pruning as alternatives for the production of blackberries in subtropical regions, especially at the time of drastic summer pruning. The study was conducted in Lavras, MG; using the cultivars: ‘Comanche’, ‘Caingangue’, ‘Choctaw’, ‘Tupy’, ‘Guarani’, ‘Brazos’ and ‘Cherokee’, they received conventional and drastic summer pruning, forming a 7x2 factorial with 4 block designs and 12 plants per plot. Phenological, vegetative and productive data were collected in the 2012/13 and 2013/14 production cycles, and quantification of fruit physico-chemical and disease incidence in the last production cycle. The drastic summer pruning significantly increases the cultivars production in subtropical regions. The cultivars ‘Brazos’ (processing) and ‘Tupy’ (fresh market) are excellent choices for growing in subtropical regions. There is no difference in fruit quality harvested from plants subjected to the pruning systems evaluated, only among cultivars. The drastic summer pruning was not effective in the reduction or control of diseases under conditions in which the experiment was performed.