This study investigates the significance of crown formation in young apricot trees and the role of specific crown forms in maintaining optimal conditions within the canopy of fruit-bearing trees. Particular attention is given to light penetration, stimulation of active vegetative growth, extension of the productive lifespan, and the balance between vegetative growth and fruiting. Shortening skeletal and semi-skeletal branches by ¼–½ of their length, combined with thinning of the inner crown, resulted in an increased number of new shoots both within the canopy and along its periphery. In the second year of observation, pruned trees exhibited higher yields compared to the unpruned control.  

Apricot, crown formation, pruning

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