Eleven peach (Prunus persica L. Batsch) and three nectarine (P. persica L. Batsch, var. nucipersica) cultivars and selections, budded on Okinawa rootstocks, grown under the meadow orchard system at 4 m x 1.5 m spacing, were summer pruned after harvest for two years. The experimental area was located in Monte Alegre do Sul (22°41’S; 46°43’W) State of São Paulo, Brazil, with an average of chill accumulation of 40 h below 7 °C. From 1997 to 1998 cycles several physiological characteristics were recorded: trunk cross-sectional area, canopy volume, yield, fruits and mass per cm² of trunk. The best results were observed for Aurora-1, IAC 680-13, Régis, Talismã and IAC 680-178 cultivars and selections with an average of number of fruits and fruit yield (kg.tree-1), respectively: 161, 13.9; 142, 12.4; 156, 12.2; 128, 11.9 and 130, 10.1. The summer pruning increased the yield and medium fruit mass. Data on trunk cross-sectional area, canopy volume, yield and fruits and mass per cm² of trunk presented significant differences among cultivars and selections.
peach; nectarine; Prunus persica; cultural practice; IAC selections; productivity; canopy volume; trunk cross-sectional area
