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A1209 Blade Nut – Central Pin Nut for Lisam Pneumatic Shears

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RAGSL112
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A1209 Blade Nut – Central Pin Nut for Lisam Pneumatic Shears

Delivery will be calculated separately

Replacement blade nut for Lisam pneumatic scissors, securing the central blade pin for safe and precise cutting.

The A1209 Blade Nut is a precision replacement central pin nut designed for Lisam pneumatic pruning shears. This component secures the blade bolt (central pin) in place, ensuring correct blade alignment, stable pivot action and consistent cutting performance. Manufactured for accurate fit and durability, the A1209 blade nut is an essential spare part when servicing or rebuilding blade assemblies on Lisam pneumatic scissors used in professional pruning applications.

Where this product is used

This blade nut is fitted to the central blade pin assembly of Lisam pneumatic scissors. It locks the blade bolt securely, allowing smooth blade movement while preventing loosening during operation.

Compatible equipment
  • Lisam pneumatic scissors – Model 12 (GSL112)
  • Central pin / blade bolt assemblies
  • Part reference: A1209

A1209 Blade Nut – Technical Specifications

Specification Details
Product type Blade nut / central pin nut
Part number A1209
Compatible brand Lisam
Compatible model Lisam pneumatic scissors – Model 12 (GSL112)
Function Secures blade bolt / central pin
Application Pneumatic pruning shears


Why choose this product

A correctly secured blade assembly is essential for safe and accurate pruning. Replacing a worn or damaged nut with the A1209 blade nut helps maintain correct blade tension, prevents loosening during use and extends the life of both blades and pivot components.

Application guidelines

Installation should be performed by an experienced user or technician. Always disconnect and depressurise the pneumatic system before servicing. Check the blade bolt and washers for wear when replacing the nut, and tighten to the manufacturer’s recommended setting.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The A1209 blade nut is used to secure the central blade bolt/pin in Lisam pneumatic pruning shears. It holds the blade assembly firmly in place while allowing correct pivot movement during cutting.
The blade nut maintains correct blade tension and alignment. If it becomes worn, loose or damaged, it can cause blade play, uneven cutting, increased wear on blades and reduced cutting performance.
Replacement is recommended if the nut shows signs of thread wear, will not hold correct tension, or during blade and pivot servicing to ensure secure and reliable operation.

 
General main key features

• Precision replacement blade nut
• Secures central blade pin assembly
• Maintains blade alignment and stability
• Designed for Lisam pneumatic shears
• Essential maintenance spare part
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Olive Mechanical Harvesting, Pruning & Bottling Contractors

Olive Mechanical Harvesting, Pruning & Bottling Contractors

In the Australian Olive Industry

Pruning Services


  • Gallard Pruning Services John Gallard 0428 761 798 , john@gallardservices.com.au Servicing Hunter Valley and other areas upon request.
  • Mulching service Peter Birch - Thunderbolt's Olives 0428 669 157 , thunderboltsolives@bigpond.com Mulches wood up to 300mm diameter Servicing NSW areas

Botling Contractors

  • EV Olives Wenbo 203 Everton Road, Markwood VIC 3678 PH: 03 5727 0209, Email: wenbowwu@hotmail.com Service: Contract Bottling & Cask Filling
  • Fini Olives Jim Hollingworth 237 Orange Springs Road, Regan's Ford, Gin Gin WA 6503 PH: 08 9259 4131, Email: jimh@finiolives.com.au

Mechanical Harvesting Contractors

  • Costa - Mount Camel Mechanical Harvesting Contractors servicing around the Mount Camel area with New Generation Sicma B411 Plus call 0488 010 173
  • John Daniel - Tarlia Olive Estate Servicing NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC & WA John Daniel resides in Lewiston on the outskirts of Adelaide, SA. Email: jtdaniel@adam.com.au
  • Peter Haslett - Haslett Harvesting PO Box 164 Paringa, SA 5340 mail@haslettharvesting.com.au 08 8595 8046  (AH) Servicing SA.
  • Puma Olive Harvesting Self propelled tractor mounted shaker.Capable of 1T/hr. Contact: Fran Goryan Ph: 0408 897 869  or 08 8823 3287 Servicing SA only.
  • Andrew Bucknell Ph: 02 6343 7101  or 0428 232 798 bucknell@westnet.com.au 6 years experience, Sicma F3 harvester Looking to expand into QLD and SA Click here to download information for Andrew Bucknell
  • Preston Valley Grove Sicma Speedy Harvester Contact Mick Ryan for more info Ph: 0419 907 701 , email:info@prestonvalleygrove.com.au
  • Barilla Olive Harvesting Lot 286 Stebonheath Rd, Munno Para Downs. S.A. 5015 Shaker Harvesting, grove layout is important, please book early. Servicing South Australia Contact: Steve Barilla Ph: 0411 402 405 , email:bariloil@tpg.com.au
  • National Olive Harvesters Pty. Ltd. 1 Nelson Road Lameroo S.A. 5302 Over-the-row Style Harvesting,Shaker Harvesting Servicing: ACT,NSW,QLD,SA,TAS,VIC & WA Contact: Ian Mead Ph:0885774062 or 0427879125 E-mail: iwmead@internode.on.net
  • EV Olives Wenbo Wu 203 Everton Road, Markwood VIC 3678 PH: 03 5727 0209 or 0408 519 955, Email: wenbowwu@hotmail.com Service: Contract harvesting New generation harvester, small or large jobs, bin hire, fruit transport  & processing

Please contact us if you would like to be listed?

Pruning & Staking Young Olive Trees for Mechanical Harvesting



PRUNING & STAKING YOUNG OLIVE TREES

FOR MECHANICAL HARVESTING

The information is supplied as a guide for during the first two years after planting olive trees between approximately 300mm (1 ft) and 1.5 metres (5 ft) in height. During this fast growth period the trees require specific pruning to maximise their growth, keep them in good health, and very importantly, prepare them for mechanical harvesting. Before pruning you should choose which style of harvesting you prefer and prune accordingly.

The briefness of this sheet cannot give all the answers and options but it does give a basic guide to pruning and staking during the first couple of years.

Whenever you are pruning a young olive tree there are four main points to keep in mind:

  1. Too much pruning at a young age will stunt the tree's growth.
  2. You are ultimately wanting to prune for mechanically harvesting the crop.
  3. A central leader trunk will assist growth in the early stages.
  4. Practice makes perfect!

Let's take a closer look at these points.


1. Olive trees are like human beings in many ways and in no way are they so similar as in the pruning. It's as simple as this:

A human can afford to lose an arm or even a leg and
still live reasonably well BUT if you lose both arms and both legs
at the same time, you're in trouble! - SO IS AN OLIVE TREE.

If your young tree is 900mm (3 ft) tall and has side branches growing all the way up its trunk DO NOT take them ALL off just because you've read that you need a clean straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres.

At first, only take off any that are growing below 300mm (1 ft) and then in several months time when the tree has grown considerably more on top, and has 'recovered' from the first pruning, you can take off any branches between 300mm and 600mm (1-2 ft). Repeat this process until finally after about two years, you have your clean straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres. Don't make the mistake of pruning 'too much too soon'. This can send the young tree into 'shock' and set it back by up to a full year. Always leave large amounts of leaf on the tree for photosynthesis to take place so that maximum root growth etc will occur.



2. Mechanical harvesting is the most efficient method of removing fruit from olive trees. Whereas oil olives have been the only mechanically harvested olives for many years, table fruit are now sometimes dropping into catching umbrellas in countries around the world, including Australia. Unless you have made a clear decision to hand harvest your fruit, to neglect pruning for future mechanical harvesting in the modern orchard may be a serious error from a long term economic viewpoint.

So what shape of tree do we need for mechanical harvesting? The most important requirement is a straight trunk for 1.0 to 1.2 metres (3'4"-4 ft) from the ground. This section of trunk must finally be free from all branches to allow the harvester's head to securely grip the trunk without any obstruction. This will allow the harvester to work more quickly and will also avoid damage to the tree.

Achieving this straight clean trunk occurs over about 18 months to two years. Initially, when the tree is only 300mm to 600mm (1-2 ft) tall you simply need to remove any branches which want to grow off the trunk below 300mm (1 ft) from the ground. Other branches above 300mm (1 ft) can be left to grow or, if they try to grow larger and faster than your main leader, they can have their tips removed to slow down their growth - thus allowing more nutrients to be focussed into the leader. This clearing will make it easier for weed spraying and will also allow the tree to focus all of its growth into the main 'leader' trunk and some higher lateral branches. At no stage should any growth touch the ground. In the early years, it is important to leave as much growth as possible on the tree because foliage promotes root growth which in turn promotes the production of more foliage.

Some trees will develop with a 'leader' (trunk) going straight up the centre with small side branches. Others will head straight for the sky as a single trunk with no side branches. Both cases are fine, but with single trunks you will need to nip off the growing tip at about 1.2-1.3m (48-50") to encourage side or lateral branches to grow at this place. It is these lateral branches that will form the main structure of your mature tree.

Mature olive trees need to be kept reasonably open in the centre to allow light penetration for better tree health and fruit production. This is best achieved through a vase shaped, sturdy growth habit which also facilitates mechanical harvesting. Your trees will probably have quite a number of lateral branches at about one metre or so from the ground when the tree is 18 months of age. Thoughtfully choose out four evenly spaced lateral branches. These need not all come from exactly the same height but should not be any lower than 800mm from the ground. As these will form the vase framework for your tree, if possible choose branches that are growing at least 30 degrees up from horizontal. This will give a vase rather than a flat plate shaped tree structure. Remove the other growth as outlined below.

If your main leader is damaged or slow growing for some reason then you may choose to allow a faster growing side branch to become the new leader. Simply remove the old leader from the stake and tie the new leader to it. (A bit like politics!)

When the tree is between 900mm and 1200mm (3-4 ft) tall, and if it has plenty of leafy branches towards its top, you can remove the branches which are growing from the trunk between 300mm and 600mm (1-2 ft) from the ground. You should now have a tree with a straight clean trunk to 600mm (2 ft) and a nice number of branches above 600mm (2 ft). If your tree is over 1200mm (4 ft) high then you can remove the tips of any branches that leave the trunk between 600mm and 900mm (2-3 ft). (Don't forget BODY TALK's advice - if there aren't many branches between 900mm and 1200mm (3-4 ft) then don't cut too heavily at this stage).

Several months after you have done the last step of pruning above, you can remove any of the final branches up to about one metre (3'4"). Your trunk is now clean to the desired height for machine harvesting and yet you still have about four evenly spaced solid branches at the top of the tree to keep root growth to a maximum. Depending on variety, land preparation and climate this whole pruning cycle from a 300mm (1 ft) tall tree to a solidly trunked tree which is branching well on top should take about eighteen months to two years.



STAKING YOUR TREE



The staking of young olive trees is very important. Stakes need to be strong enough to support the tree while the anchor roots are developing, and yet flexible enough to allow the tree to move in the wind. If the stake is too rigid or the tree tied too tightly to it, then the tree will be over protected and not feel the need to develop strong roots.

The most common size stake to use was the 1.5 metre (5 ft) high, 24-26mm thick. Thicker stakes are available for sandy soils: 1.8m (7ft) high, 25-28mm.

The bamboo stakes have some advantages over hardwood stakes as they have as they allow the tree to flex in the wind thereby encouraging the tree to develop a thick trunk and also to develop its anchor roots quickly. A tree rigidly tied to an unbending hardwood stake will not realise the need to develop its anchor roots strongly.

Sourcing Stakes - for further details and pricing for Stakes are available from The Olive Centre.

After about two years at which point the tree probably will no longer need staking. It is rare for a tree to need any support after it has outgrown such a stake.

Place the stake about 50mm (2") from the base of the tree and push it into the soil at least 300mm vertically until it feels quite stable. A better option is to use the stakes to mark your tree sites prior to planting and then simply plant the trees beside them. You can then tie both the young tree and its small nursery stake to the main stake with a tool such as the tapener described below. (There is no need to cut off the the tapes between the young tree and its nursery stake as they will break away naturally as the tree trunk thickens.)

After planting and staking the tree, the stake will prove to be a good solid anchor point to attach protective guards or netting to if you have severe animal problems and do not have a full netting fence around the boundary of your orchard.

Tying the Tree - From our experience with tying methods over many years, we have found that the tape tying tools available from The Olive Centre are an excellent investment. The taping tool is very fast and efficient and if you have a number of trees to tie, you will get the cost of your tool back very quickly in saved time. When you order your tool Full Staking Kits are available which include a packet of staples, a packet of spare cutter blades, and unless you have very thick trunks, the 26 metre rolls of tape will be what you'll use.

After testing many brands of tape, we recommend the high quality, green tape. As the tree trunk grows thicker it will be better able to support itself without so much need for the stake. As the trunk thickens, the tape will stretch and naturally tear out at the staple point so it will not strangle the tree as some ties do. For windy areas other heavy duty tree ties are available.



3. A central leader trunk will help to speed up your tree's growth during the early years. Because this trunk will be fast growing and always growing upwards in the centre of your tree, it will be drawing nutrients up through the tree to sustain its growth. As it draws these nutrients up the tree, the nutrients will be carried to lower branches and thereby increase their speed of growth as well. The central leader acts as a type of 'nutrient pump' within the tree. (If your tree decides to grow straight up without any lateral (side) branches, nip the growing tip out when it reaches about 1.2 - 1.3 metres (4 ft). This will force it to start lateral branching into your vase shape.)

What we have finally achieved is a young tree with approximately four main scaffold branches. The shape is commonly known as an Inverted Conical Vase.

As mentioned in the introduction, this is not a conclusive pruning guide. It only touches on the basics of pruning young trees with what are considered the most commercially viable methods.



4. Practice Makes Perfect! Olive trees have a mind of their own and as such they will sometimes fight against many of your efforts to prune them into shape. Don't give up. Perseverance wins the race. Remember that time is on your side. A tree that won't grow correctly this season can often be restaked and then pruned into shape next season.

Objectives of Pruning by Marcelo Berlanda

OBJECTIVES OF PRUNING


Train and Shape Olive trees, Maintain or Increase Production and Improve Harvest Efficiency

by Marcelo Berlanda

Marcelo High Density II.jpg

Training helps giving the tree the optimal shape to allow for efficient harvest as well as achieving early crops.

Once the trees have reached their optimum canopy volume for the environmental conditions of the area, it is likely that the yields could start declining. This is due to the fact that the inner part of the canopy does not receive sufficient sunlight, which causes defoliation, resulting in a low Leaf to Wood Ratio.

If the tree grows above its optimum size, it creates serious issues for the harvester machines. The tree becomes too high and too wide for the machines, it has thick branches that can cause damage on the picking heads and also reduces the removal efficiency of the machine as well as slows down the harvesting speed.

It is a fact that to produce fruit, Olive trees need to grow and produce new branches each year; therefore the trees need to grow every year. It is here where pruning becomes a very useful management tool.

Pruning helps increasing Fruit Size, Oil Yield, Light Interception and Leaf to Wood Ratio, it promotes new growth, and reduces water and fertiliser requirements.


see the full article at:

1- Tree Training

Objectives: Achieve early start of production with higher yields, increased number of production years, higher fruit quality, prepare the trees for the type of harvester that is going to be used on the grove.

Training takes place during the first 3 years of the tree life.

During the first year minimum pruning is required (provided the trees come with a suitable shape from the nursery), lower and vigorous branches competing with the leader should be removed. The aim is to encourage a straight vertical trunk with horizontal branches coming out. Water shoots must be removed to stop competition for water and nutrients.

On the second and third year the aim is to remove lower branches below 600-700-800-1000mm (must be done gradually).

“Always keep in mind that if we prune too hard is because either we came too late or because we do not know what to do”.

There must be a balance between what is taken out and what is left on. If we remove too much canopy, we have a negative effect on the tree, because we are removing photosynthetic area setting the tree back for a while until it starts growing again.

Light pruning is a process by which we only take a small amount of foliage (a couple of small branches), therefore we are not affecting tree balance. That is why it can be done from August until the end of May.

Heavier pruning in this process we take a large amounts of foliage therefore we are promoting a stronger reaction from the tree, this makes it susceptible to frost damage. That is why we should be delaying it until the end of September unless the weather is warmer. If that is the case we could start at the beginning of September.

Tree training not only involves light and heavy pruning but also tree tying and skirting.

2- Production

This type of pruning is performed on mature trees once they have reached full size. It has the aim of balancing the tree to obtain uniform and constant production every year.

As we all know when trees are young there is a larger number of non productive branches and that is because those branches are actively growing, but once they have reached their potential, they stop growing and start producing fruits, after a while those branches are exhausted and they stop producing, therefore they should be removed, to encourage new growth and renew the tree.


If bloom is light, pruning can be confined to non-productive parts of the tree, preserving as much bloom and potential crop as possible. In years of heavy bloom, pruning can be more severe without excessive crop removal.

Time of pruning: bud break until early December.

3- After Harvest (Cleaning)

The aim is to clean up the large broken branches that are left after the harvesters have gone through the grove. We could avoid it by spraying the trees with copper after harvest and wait until spring to take the damaged wood out.




Mechanical Harvesting, Pruning & Bottling Contractors

View Industry Contracting Services in a full screen map

PRUNING SERVICES

Gallard Pruning Services
John Gallard
0428 761 798, john@gallardservices.com.au
Servicing Hunter Valley and other areas upon request.

Mulching service
Peter Birch - Thunderbolt's Olives
0428 669 157, thunderboltsolives@bigpond.com
Mulches wood up to 300mm diameter
Servicing NSW areas

BOTTLING CONTRACTORS

Olive Oil Packaging Service
Kent Hallett
PO Box 114,Riverton SA 5412
PH: (08) 8847 2255, FAX: (08) 8847 2676

EV Olives
Eberhard Kunze
203 Everton Road, Markwood VIC 3678
PH: 03 5727 0209, Email: ekunze@netc.net.au
Service: Contract Bottling & Cask Filling

Fini Olives
Jim Hollingworth
237 Orange Springs Road, Regan's Ford, Gin Gin WA 6503
PH: 08 9259 4131, Email: jimh@finiolives.com.au

FRUIT TESTING SERVICES

Groverite Australia
Email: racquel@pukaraestate.com.au

MECHANICAL HARVESTING CONTRACTORS

John Daniel - Tarlia Olive Estate
Servicing NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC & WA
John Daniel resides in Lewiston on the outskirts of Adelaide, SA.
Email: jtdaniel@adam.com.au

Olympus Olive Contractors & Transport
Tige & Joy Boyd, RSD L260 Lockwood Vic 3539
olympusolives@impulse.net.au
PH: 03 5435 3644 Mob: 0429 056 437 Fax: 03 5435 3704
Servicing QLD, NSW & VIC

Peter Haslett - Haslett Harvesting
PO Box 164 Paringa, SA 5340
mail@haslettharvesting.com.au
08 8595 8046 (AH)
Servicing SA.

Ashville Contracting Pty Ltd
P.O. Box 828 Merbein Victoria 3505
Contact; Ashley Munro
Ph: 0428840235 or 03 50253305
Fax 03 50253305
Email ashville@ncable.com.au

Puma Olive Harvesting
Self propelled tractor mounted shaker.Capable of 1T/hr.
Contact: Fran Goryan
Ph: 0408 897 869 or 08 8823 3287
Servicing SA only.

Andrew Bucknell
Ph: 02 6343 7101 or 0428 232 798
bucknell@westnet.com.au
6 years experience, Sicma F3 harvester
Looking to expand into QLD and SA
Click here to download information for Andrew Bucknell

La Barre Olives
An average of 40 - 60 trees / Hour
Sicma Harvester, Operator has 5 years full time experience
Please contact La Barre Olives for more info
Ph: 02 6344 3170
denanteuil@bigpond.com

Preston Valley Grove
Sicma Speedy Harvester
Contact Mick Ryan for more info
Ph: 0419 907 701, email:info@prestonvalleygrove.com.au

Barilla Olive Harvesting
Lot 286 Stebonheath Rd, Munno Para Downs. S.A. 5015
Shaker Harvesting, grove layout is important, please book early.
Servicing South Australia
Contact: Steve Barilla
Ph: 0411 402 405, email:bariloil@tpg.com.au

National Olive Harvesters Pty. Ltd.
1 Nelson Road Lameroo S.A. 5302
Over-the-row Style Harvesting,Shaker Harvesting
Servicing: ACT,NSW,QLD,SA,TAS,VIC & WA
Contact: Ian Mead
Ph:0885774062 or 0427879125
E-mail: iwmead@internode.on.net

EV Olives
Eberhard Kunze
203 Everton Road, Markwood VIC 3678
PH: 03 5727 0209 or 0408 519 955, Email: ekunze@netc.net.au
Service: Contract harvesting
New generation harvester, small or large jobs, bin hire, fruit transport
& processing

Optimising Olive Grove Layout

When establishing an olive grove, one of the most critical decisions you will make is the layout of your trees. The arrangement you choose will influence tree health, productivity, and long-term management efficiency. This guide will walk you through key considerations, including aspect, tree spacing, irrigation, harvesting methods, drainage, pruning, and marking out your olive grove.
Please log in to view the entire article

Pruning Medium Density Olive Trees by Paul Vossen - University of California

Paul Vossen, a renowned olive oil production expert and former farm advisor with UC Cooperative Extension, presents a hands-on tutorial focused on pruning medium-density olive trees for optimal health, structure, and productivity.
Please log in to view the entire article

Mechanical vs Hand Pruning in Traditional and SHD Olive Groves

Discover the pros and cons of vs hand pruning in olive groves. This guide compares traditional and super high-density (SHD) systems, showing how pruning methods affect yield, costs, and tree health. Learn best practices to boost productivity, reduce labor, and manage disease for a more sustainable olive orchard.
Please log in to view the entire article

Olive Grove Seasonal Planning Checklist

This Olive Orchard Yearly Planner provides a structured, seasonal framework to help growers schedule and prioritise irrigation, nutrition, pruning, pest management, machinery maintenance and harvest activities in a commercial olive grove.
Please log in to view the entire article

Optimising Olive Tree Health and Yield Through Effective Pruning

SMART PRUNING FOR STRONGER, HIGHER-YIELD OLIVE TREES

Optimising Olive Tree Health and Yield Through Effective Pruning

By Marcelo Berlanda, Agronomist & Consultant for The Olive Centre

“Olive trees must put out fresh growth each year to produce fruit.”

Training shapes the tree to support efficient harvesting and encourage early production

When trees reach the canopy size best suited to their environment, yields may begin to drop. This often happens because the inner canopy receives limited sunlight, leading to leaf loss and a reduced Leaf-to-Wood Ratio. If a tree grows beyond its ideal size, it creates challenges for mechanical harvesters. Excess height and width, along with thick branches, can strain or damage harvesting equipment, reduce fruit removal efficiency, and slow the harvest. Because olive trees need to produce new shoots annually to maintain fruiting, consistent growth is essential—and pruning becomes an important management practice. Pruning improves fruit size, oil content, light penetration, and the Leaf-to-Wood Ratio. It also stimulates fresh growth and lowers water and fertiliser demand. 

1- TREE TRAINING 

Purpose: Establish early productivity with stronger yields, extend the productive lifespan of the tree, enhance fruit quality, and prepare trees for the harvesting system used in the grove. 

Timing: Training occurs within the first three years of the tree’s development. 


In the first year, pruning is minimal (assuming nursery trees arrive with a good structure). Remove lower or overly vigorous branches that compete with the central leader. The goal is to maintain an upright main trunk with outward-growing horizontal branches. Water shoots should be removed so they do not compete for nutrients and moisture.

During the second and third years, gradually remove lower branches below approximately 600–1000 mm. 

A balance is essential. Removing too much canopy reduces the tree’s photosynthetic area, slowing its progress until new growth resumes.

Light pruning involves removing only small sections of foliage (such as a few short shoots), which keeps the tree stable. This can be done from August through late May. 

Heavy pruning removes larger amounts of foliage, prompting a stronger regrowth response but also increasing frost risk. Heavy cuts should generally be delayed until late September unless conditions are warm enough to begin earlier. 

Tree training may also include tying and skirting as part of shaping and preparation.

2- PRODUCTION 

This stage focuses on mature trees that have reached full size. The aim is to maintain balance so the tree can produce consistent, reliable crops each year.


Young trees contain many non-productive branches because they are still actively growing. Once these branches mature and begin producing fruit, they eventually become exhausted and stop fruiting. At that point, they need to be removed to make room for new productive growth and renewal of the canopy. 

LoIf the bloom is light, pruning should focus mainly on non-productive wood to preserve as much fruiting potential as possible. In years with heavy bloom, pruning can be more assertive without significantly reducing the crop. 

Timing: From bud break through early December.

3- AFTER HARVEST (CLEANING) 

The goal at this stage is to remove large damaged branches left behind after mechanical harvest. This step can be postponed by applying copper after harvest and waiting until spring to remove the affected wood.

Read More:Marcelo BerlandaMechanical PruningMechanical Harvesting

Pruning & Plant Growth Regulators To Increasing Fruit Yield

08/11/19:? Pruning techniques and timing are always a misunderstood practice throughout the olive growing community.? This study is interesting because it delves into simulated mechanical pruning and also introduces the potential use of plant growth regulators.

Pruning is a necessary grove management practice to assist in maintaining appropriate canopy size and promote higher levels of flowering in olive groves.? Recent studies assessing the agronomic responses to mechanical pruning have found that moderate to severe winter mechanical hedge pruning can result in a vigorous vegetative growth response the next season which could reduce subsequent flowering for up to three seasons.

The latest research out of Argentina highlights a potential direction in findings that plant growth regulators need to be assessed in its use for increasing fruit yield.

The study looked at the different techniques for the impact of increasing flowering and fruit yield which included:

  • Tip heading of new shoots
  • Thinning of vigorous new shoots
  • Application of growth regulators - Mepiquat Chloride (MC)

Researchers noted ?The thinning of the new water sprouts at pit hardening 4 months after the simulated mechanical winter pruning reduced tree size and improved the return flowering and yield but is time-consuming.? Whilst tip heading was not effective in controlling shoot growth nor promoting flowering on new shoots.?

?The encouraging responses to plant growth regulator on unpruned trees indicate the need for further studies combining winter pruning with MC applications in the 2000?3000 ppm range at pit hardening and at other phenological stages and for several consecutive years to confirm whether this practice is a better post pruning management tool."

This research is interesting because the use of plant growth regulators could become an important tool for improving flowering and fruit yields.? With the current drought conditions looking at alternative techniques to improve fruit yield could be a game-changer for the Olive Industry and should be explored.

_____________________________________________

Responses of Shoot Growth, Return Flowering, and Fruit Yield to Post-Pruning Practices and Growth Regulator Applications In Olive Trees

Abstract

Winter mechanical hedge pruning of olive trees can result in a strong post-pruning shoot growth response and a low return flowering intensity the following year. However, post-pruning practices including tip heading, water sprout thinning, and the application of the growth inhibitor mepiquat chloride (MC) may positively reduce subsequent vegetative growth and promote flowering. Two experiments were carried out with the aim of addressing the following questions: (1) Do these post-pruning practices applied on trees that received simulated mechanical pruning during the winter reduce growth and increase flowering in the spring of the following year?; and (2) What is the optimal MC dose in unpruned trees needed to increase flowering the following spring? In the first experiment, five-year-old olive trees (cv. Arbequina) growing in a fairly low-density orchard (208 trees ha-1) were hedge pruned at the end of winter using manual clippers on the east and west sides to simulate mechanical disk pruning, and the post-pruning treatments were applied at the pit hardening stage (early summer). In the second experiment, foliar or soil application of MC was performed at pit hardening in unpruned trees. The results show that tip heading of new shoots led to a large number of lateral shoots that flowered little, or not at all, the following spring. In contrast, the water sprout thinning treatment had sufficient flowering to significantly increase fruit number and yield the following year compared to tip heading. Foliar application of MC (1500 ppm) after winter pruning did not inhibit new shoot growth, return flowering was low, and yield was less than the water sprout thinning treatment. The lack of a post-pruning response to foliar MC was likely related to the dose used (1500 ppm). In the second experiment, a foliar application of MC at 3000 ppm was associated with greater return flowering and yield than the untreated control. In conclusion, thinning of vigorous water sprouts at the pit hardening stage three months after simulated winter mechanical hedge pruning can improve fruit number and yield the next year, especially on a per canopy volume basis. Furthermore, the responses to foliar MC application in unpruned trees suggest that more detailed post-pruning studies with MC application doses in the 2000?3000 ppm range and at additional phenological stages should be performed over several consecutive years to assess whether this practice could be a suitable management tool.

Results The effects of water regimes on the plant water status, photosynthetic performance, metabolites fluctuations and fruit quality parameters were evaluated. All DIS treatments enhanced leaf tissue density, RDI and SDI generally did not affect leaf water status and maintained photosynthetic machinery working properly, while SDIAF treatment impaired olive tree physiological indicators. DIS treatments maintained the levels of primary metabolites in leaves, but SDIAF plants showed signs of oxidative stress.

Moreover, DIS treatments led to changes in the secondary metabolism, both in leaves and in fruits, with increased total phenolic compounds, ortho-diphenols, and flavonoids concentrations, and higher total antioxidant capacity, as well higher oil content.

Phenolic profiles showed the relevance of an early harvest in order to obtain higher oleuropein levels with associated higher health benefits.

Conclusion Different treatments (or curing methods) that are necessary to remove the bitterness of the raw olive and to stabilize them to obtain edible table olives, causing a loss in phenolic substances which also results in a loss of anthocyanins and antioxidant activity. However, CdN black table olives were the richest in polyphenols, consequently possessing the best antioxidant activity among the analyzed black table olives and among other black table olives reported in literature.? Moreover, it is plausible that regular consumption of CdN table olives can give real returns in terms of prevention of oxidative stress.

Authors: V aleriaAlbarrac?na1, Antonio J.Hallb, Peter S.Searlesa, M. CeciliaRousseauxa

  • a Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cient?ficas y Transferencia Tecnol?gica de La Rioja (CRILAR-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa-CONICET), Entre R?os y Mendoza s/n, Anillaco, 5301, La Rioja, Argentina
  • b IFEVA, Facultad de Agronom?a, Universidad de Buenos Aires/CONICET, Av. San Mart?n 4453, Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina

Read the full study at Scientia Horticulture

The Objectives of Pruning Olive Trees by Marcelo Berlanda

The Objectives of Pruning?

By Marcelo Berlanda,?Agronomist & Consultant for The Olive Centre
?It is a fact that to produce fruit, olive trees need to grow and produce new branches each year?
Training helps give the tree the optimal shape to allow for efficient harvest as well as achieving early crops.

Once the trees have reached their optimum canopy volume for the environmental conditions of the area, it is likely that the yields could start declining. This is due to the fact that the inner part of the canopy does not receive sufficient sunlight, which causes defoliation, resulting in a low Leaf to Wood Ratio.

If the tree grows above its optimum size, it creates serious issues for the harvester machines.? The tree becomes too high and too wide for the machines, it has thick branches which can cause damage on the picking heads and also reduces removal efficiency of the machine as well as slows down the overall harvesting speed.

It is a fact that to produce fruit, Olive trees need to grow and produce new branches each year; therefore the trees need to grow every year. It is here where pruning becomes a very useful management tool.

Pruning helps increase Fruit Size, Oil Yield, Light Interception, and Leaf to Wood ratio, it promotes new growth and reduces water and fertiliser requirements.

1- Tree Training
Objectives:? Achieve early start of production with higher yields, an increased number of production years, higher fruit quality, prepare the trees for the type of harvester that is going to be used on the grove.
Timing: training takes place during the first 3 years of tree life.
During the first year minimum pruning is required (provided the trees come with a suitable shape from the nursery), lower and vigorous branches competing with the leader should be removed. The aim is to encourage a straight vertical trunk with horizontal branches coming out. Water shoots must be removed to stop competition for water and nutrients.?

On the second and third year the aim is to remove lower branches below 600-700-800-1000mm (must be done gradually)?

There must be a balance between what is taken out and what is left on.? If we remove too much canopy, we have a negative effect on the tree, because we are removing photosynthetic area setting the tree back for a while until it starts growing again.

Light pruning is a process by which we only take a small amount of foliage (a couple of small branches), therefore we are not affecting tree balance. That is why it can be done from August until the end of May.

Heavier pruning in this process we take large amounts of foliage therefore we are promoting a stronger reaction from the tree, this makes it susceptible to frost damage. That is why we should be delaying it until the end of September unless the weather is warmer. If that is the case we could start at the beginning of September.

Tree training not only involves light and heavy pruning but also tree tying and skirting.

2- Production
This type of pruning is performed on mature trees once they have reached full size. It has the aim of balancing the tree to obtain uniform and constant production every year.

As we know when trees are young there is a larger number of non-productive branches and that is because those branches are actively growing, but once they have reached their potential, they stop growing and start producing fruits, after a while, those branches are exhausted and they stop producing, therefore they should be removed, to encourage new growth and renew the tree.

If bloom is light, pruning can be confined to non-productive parts of the tree, preserving as much bloom and potential crop as possible. In years of heave bloom, pruning can be more severe without excessive crop removal.

Time of pruning: bud break until early December.
3- After Harvest (Cleaning)
The aim is to clean up the large broken branches that are left after the harvesters have gone through the grove. We could avoid it by spraying the trees with copper after harvest and wait until spring to take the damaged wood out.

 

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