The Brazilian citrus has undergone adaptations due to problems with pests and diseases
aggravated by the large price fluctuation, resulting in the adoption of alternatives, such as higher
density planting. This transition requires the improvement of practices crop management, such as the adoption of the pruning technique. Its use could be questionable because for a period it can reduce productivity and also retards plant growth due to removal of branches and photosynthetically active leaves, consequently decreasing the total leaf area. Furthermore, the
pruning technique also has large interference in source-sink relationship. It’s also important
to list that leaves and stems of citrus trees quantity are sources of carbohydrates, a drastic
pruning can cause losses of vegetative growth and fruiting. On the other hand, pruning favors
light penetration and air movement inside the canopy, reducing the plant size and promotes
better fruits quality. Pruning also helps to control pests and diseases, improving the efficiency
of pesticide application and controlling the alternate bearing in some citrus genotypes. It’s
important to highlight that when the practice of pruning is done periodically, the productivity
of crop yield can be maintained, reducing the competition between the canopies. Currently it
can be pointed some types of pruning: training, production (hedging and topping), rejuvenation,
cleaning and pruning change of canopy. In general, the best period to prune is after harvesting
the orchard. It’s essential to understand this technique, since an inadequate pruning may be more
harmful that beneficial to the plant.