Pruning influence on bioactive compounds and production of blueberries cv. O'Neal.

Pruning can influence blueberries yield and fruit size, and its intensity depends on cultivar, plant age, number of canes, plant conduction system, vigor and vegetative habit. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of pruning intensity on yield and quality of fruits on O´Neal blueberries plants. The treatments were: absence of pruning; light pruning; regular pruning and drastic pruning. The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The experiments were conducted in 2010 and repeated in 2011. The different intensities of pruning had no influence on the fruit production and size, but there was a tendency of growth of the bioactive compounds contents, the more drastic the pruning was.