In 1997, the authors started the study of the use of mechanical pruning in the portuguese olive orchards (Dias et al., 1998). The results obtained in a traditional olive orchard revealed that the use of mechanical pruning can contribute to the reduction of pruning costs without reduction in yield (Dias, 2006).
During a 6 years trial in a irrigated orchard of Picual variety, in an array of 7 m x 3,5 m, the results obtained showed that is possible to maintain the yield without pruning interventions (Dias et al., 2012-2).
In 2009, authors started the evaluation of the use of mechanical pruning in a irrigated intensive olive orchard of Galega vulgar variety installed in an array of 7m x 5m.
In this trial, in a randomised complete block design with three replications, four treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4) are being compared leading to 12 plots. The treatments under study are: T1 - manual pruning using manual saws and scissors, performed in 2009 and 2013; T2 - mechanical pruning: topping the canopy parallel to the ground, in 2009 and 2013; T3 - mechanical pruning as in T2, followed by manual pruning complement using manual saws and scissors, in 2009 and 2013; T4 - mechanical pruning: topping the canopy parallel to the ground in 2009 and 2013. In 2011 and 2015, treatment T4 was submitted to manual pruning complement using manual saws and scissors.
The evaluation of pruning rate and the average yield per tree for each treatment was measured.
The results obtained show that mechanical pruning did not influence the yield per tree as verified in the traditional olive orchards (Dias et al., 2012-1) and in intensive orchards (Dias et al., 2012-2).
Manual pruning complement made two years after mechanical pruning seems to have no influence on yield. More field work is essential to evaluate the effect of new pruning intervention
