The Relationship of Granny Smith Apple Tree Growth and Early Cropping to Planting Density and Rectangularity

Abstract

SummaryAn apple tree planting density experiment with an expanding grid design indicated that production per tree, during the first three years of bearing, was greatest at moderate spacings (450-500 trees per hectare); trees planted very close together (up to 1,637 per hectare) produced less fruit per tree, and per unit of tree volume, but more per hectare. Trees at maximum spacings (250-300 per hectare) were less efficient and showed the adverse effects of exposure. Rectangular as opposed to square planting of these vase-shaped trees improved accessibility, but reduced the weight of fruit harvested per hectare and per tree. Leaf nutrient levels appeared to be similar at all spacings and did not reflect the different rates of fertilizer applied per tree.