The establishment of rational terms and methods of mechanised pruning of apple trees on dwarf rootstocks determine the relevance of the subject under study. The purpose of this review is to highlight the current state and issues associated with tree pruning to improve the technology of growing and increasing the productivity of plantations yielding high-quality fruit with a rational period of mechanised pruning of apple trees on a dwarf rootstock. Proceeding from the analysed literature sources, this paper highlights the current state and development trends of horticulture. A gradual increase in apple production in Europe observed, but an important factor limiting the growth of fruit production is labour productivity accompanying the laborious processes of tree trimming and harvesting. The seasonal nature of work involving numerous skilled workers leads to a shortage of labour force in horticulture. With the increase in wages and the decrease in the number of workers in agricultural production, the introduction of elements of mechanised care for plantations, namely mechanised pruning of the crown, is gaining more significance. The solution to the problem is to improve modern technology of growing apple orchards, using mechanised pruning and the formation of fruit wall in particular. This will allow balancing the available number of employees involved in fruit cultivation and orchards area, and, if necessary, moving away from seasonal work. This paper investigates the specific features of the use and the influence of different periods of mechanised pruning, in particular in winter (0 BBCH), in the pink bud phase (59 BBCH), in early summer (74 BBCH), after harvesting (93 BBCH), and considers the mechanisms used for this purpose. The study proves the positive influence of this technology on improving setting illumination of the crown and the content of chlorophyll in the leaf, optimisation of growth processes with a considerable increase in the number of formed buds. The increase in yield and its marketable quality is accompanied by reducing the size of the fruit, the ripening time of which is somewhat delayed. However, the chemical composition and taste of the fruits are not inferior to the cultivation technology involving manual pruning. The practical significance of the obtained results is to improve the technology of growing apple trees using mechanised pruning and manual maintenance of the inter-tree space, which ensures a considerable reduction in the need for skilled manual labour and increases productivity

No abstract

The apple tree is a leading fruit crop in Ukraine in terms of production volumes and planting areas and is a valuable food product with a high content of vitamins. In new modern plantings, fruit producers prefer intensive cultivation technologies that ensure the maximum amount of high-quality fruit yield per unit area. The main criterion for solving this problem is the design of plantings: a narrow-row scheme for planting trees and a low-volume crown shape. The purpose of the study was to establish the influence of the pruning period of different types of crown formations on the growth and productivity of apple trees of two varieties: Fuji and Honey Crisp. The study was conducted in the conditions of the central Forest-Steppe of Ukraine (Uman National University of Horticulture). The scheme of planting was 4x1 m, M.9 rootstock, chernozem sod-podzolic soil, drip irrigation. Field, statistical, and computational-analytical methods were used in the course of the study. It was identified that the growth pattern of the examined varieties differed substantially, and crown volume, projection area, and development of the feeding area prevailed in Honey Crisp trees. However, in terms of productivity, the plantings of the Fuji variety substantially exceeded the values of the Honey Crisp variety. Forming a ballerina crown with the removal of overgrown wood in a 25 cm zone on the central trunk above the lower tier of semi-cellular branches provided an increase in the growth activity of the examined trees by 3-5%. A substantial decrease in the values of crown parameters was provided by the formation of the French axis crown – there was a decrease in the crown diameter by 44%, the crown volume – by 67%, and the crown projection area and the development of the feeding area – by 69%. Performing additional summer pruning of trees also helped to reduce growth activity by 6-11%. However, the specific productivity of plantings doubled in plantings with the formation of the French axis and by 45-50% with the introduction of double pruning of trees. It is recommended that agricultural producers investigate the terms of pruning low-volume crown forms, considering varietal characteristics, to create compacted apple stands and increase the intensification of production

methionine, cystine, tryptophan, non-nitrogenous extractives (BER), as well as vitamins A, D, E, B vitamins, in particular folic acid (Bc), biotin (H), carotenoids. Of the macronutrients are calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen and trace elements: iron, zinc, manganese, and copper. In the biolayer formed in the filtration layer, the organic matter decomposes under the influence of microorganisms upon runoff into the ground. This mechanism is similar to the process of composting mowed vegetation, household food waste and the like. At the same time, in recent years there has been a depletion of soils into the main nutrients due to the scarcity of traditional organic and expensive mineral fertilizers. Partially the lack of basic nutrients, trace elements and organic matter in the soil can be replenished by fertilizing irrigation emissions from alcohol production. At the same time, due to the large irrigation standards, the fertilizer becomes moisture-charging in nature, which allows to provide the plants with the necessary moisture, especially in the initial stages of organogenesis. This opportunity has become relevant in recent years, when there is a rather unstable moisture due to lack of rainfall in the spring. To reduce the negative environmental impact of alcohol production, namely dreg, it is proposed to use dreg sediment as an alternative fertilizer for crops.

Studied in the experiment were the following components of cultivation technology for black currant: maintaining the soil between rows as black fallow or grassed; maintaining the rows as black fallow, mulched with straw or covered with polyethylene mulch film; foliar dressing in the budding stage with liquid suspended organic fertiliser Riverm at the concentrations of 1, 3 or 5% against the background of complete mineral fertiliser N60P90K90. According to the results of the research, it was found that the best growth and development of black currant plants was for maintaining the soil between rows as black fallow and maintaining the rows mulched with straw. Such practices activate the soil microbiota and facilitate the availability of nutrients to plants. Mulching with straw effectively protects against weeds, prevents damage to plants by tillage tools, and does not prevent rainfall from entering the soil. Accordingly, the best indicators of the maximum number of bunches of black currant (604) fruit number per bush (1315) were obtained in the treatment with maintaining the rows as black fallow and the use of fertiliser N 60P90 K90 (background) + Riverm 5 %. However, the highest fruit weight (1.66?1.74 g) was obtained in the treatment with maintaining the soil between rows as black fallow, the use of fertiliser background N60?90K90 + Riverm 3 % or Riverm 5 %. In general, the use of mineral fertilisers along with foliar dressing using Riverm increased the fruit yield in the treatment with N60P90K90 + Riverm 3 % under maintaining the rows as black fallow and mulching the rows using the straw up to 13.44 t/ ha; for the use of Riverm 5 %, the fruit yield was 13.28 t/ha.