Production and quality of 'Delite' blueberry fruit under different pruning times

The objective of this study was to evaluate the production and quality of 'Delite' blueberry fruit under different pruning times, during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 production cycles, in the Pelotas region, RS, Brazil. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, in a 2 x 3 factorial scheme, the factors being: summer pruning (with summer pruning x without summer pruning) and winter pruning times (early x conventional x late), with four replications and one plant per replication. The following parameters were evaluated: soluble solids content, pH, titratable acidity, number of fruits per plant, average fruit weight, fruit diameter, fruit length, production per plant, yield and color. 'Delite' blueberry plants that were not pruned in the summer showed the highest production per plant, regardless of the time of winter pruning. In addition, the early and late winter pruning periods provide greater fruit weight for 'Delite' blueberries under the conditions of the experiment and different pruning methods do not influence the soluble solids, pH and ohue content of the fruit. It can therefore be concluded that 'Delite' blueberry plants that were not pruned in the summer and pruned between June and August in the winter showed higher fruit production and quality.