Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ABOVE:
B) Thinner positioned horizontally above the tree canopy.
The vertically mounted tractor-mounted string thinner works best with
narrow-row, flat canopies. For other training systems, researchers are testing
handheld string trimmers that have been modified for use in fruit tree thin-
ning, and one version (Bonner) is marketed commercially by a German firm.
Advantages and disadvantages.
Mechanical thinning shows promise and is
being adopted commercially, but we are in the early part of the learning
curve using these methods. While mechanical thinners effectively remove
flowers and green fruits, they can damage the trees, increasing their sus-
ceptibility to diseases. We do not yet know how much damage the thinners
