RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF PRUNING ON FRUIT BUDS AND FRUIT YIELDS IN APRICOT TREES

The apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is one of the most appreciated species of fruit trees in Romania, due to its high-quality fruits, which can be valued at a high price. In recent years we have been experiencing very low temperatures during spring time, with severe frosts and hoarfrosts that negatively influence the production of this species. The study was carried out at Research Station for Fruit Growing Constanța from 2018 to 2022 in a plot of apricots in the period of maximum fructification on three varieties with different fruit ripening periods - early, middle and late, in order to establish a connection between the times of application of pruning and the number of fruit buds differentiated on perennial and annual branches. In the apricot cultivars studied, the obtained results indicate that pruning at the beginning of the dormancy period (November) is beneficial within the years without climatic accidents, obtaining yields of 25 t/ha.