PRODUCTION, PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL QUALITY AND BIOATIVE COMPOUNDS OF MISTY BLUEBERRY FRUIT UNDER DIFFERENT PRUNING INTENSITIES

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pruning intensity on yield and quality of blueberries fruits. It was evaluated the cultivar Misty. The treatments were: absence of pruning; light pruning; regular pruning and drastic pruning. The experimental design was randomized blocks with four replications. The variables analyzed were fruit production, fruit size, pH, total soluble solids (TSS) and total titratable acidity (TTA), and the bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity. The plants that received drastic pruning showed higher averages of production and fruit size. The highest concentrations of phytochemical compounds in blueberry fruits occurred as pruning was more drastic. The use of different intensity of pruning can modify the productive behavior and postharvest quality of fruits.