There are six basic methods for pruning branches of fruit trees in winter: short cutting, retraction, thinning, slow opening, angle opening, and direction change.

⑴ Short cutting

Pruning off part of the annual branches is called short cutting. According to the cutting length, it is divided into light short cut, medium short cut, heavy short cut and extremely heavy short cut. Short-cut pruning is mainly used to prune extended branches of the main, side, and center trunks or auxiliary branches with room for growth. It can also be used to rejuvenate weak branches, control competing branches, or weaken upright strong branches to cultivate small branch groups.

⑵ Retraction

The front part of a perennial branch (2 years old or more than 2 years old) is shortened (cut or sawed off), which is called retraction. Retraction pruning is mainly used for the renewal of fruiting branches (groups) or backbone branches, as well as for the control of crowns and auxiliary branches. ⑶ Thinning

Removing useless branches from their base is called thinning. Thinning pruning is mainly used to deal with branches in places where the tree body grows too densely or some upright branches on the back (leggy branches), competing branches, and tree heads. To facilitate ventilation and light transmission of the tree body, form an ideal tree structure and reduce unnecessary consumption of nutrients. ⑷ Slow release

If the annual branches cannot be released long, that is, they are not cut, it is called slow release. It is mainly used for fruiting branches (long and medium branches) that have formed flower buds and some developing branches with good branch strength and position. In order to ease the growth of branches (tree body) and promote flower bud differentiation and fruiting.

⑸ Opening angle

The angle at which the main, side branches and strong branches are opened is called the opening angle. Mainly used for angle adjustment of backbone branches at all levels. Due to the strong polarity of pear trees, most of the saplings are in a clasped or semi-clasped posture when they grow naturally, which affects their early fruiting, high yield and fruit quality. Therefore, opening the corners is the most critical measure for pear tree shaping. Commonly used methods such as support, pull, top, drop, and pressure are used to comprehensively open angles.

The suitable angles of the backbone branches are slightly different in different shaping methods. Generally, there are three main branches at the base of the tree, with the main branches at 60°~70° and the side branches at 70°~80°.

⑹ Direction change

Adjust the posture, angle, and orientation of the branches to the appropriate orientation angle through methods such as separation, support, support, bending, and support. It is mainly used to shape the growth posture of small branch groups on the backbone branches. It helps to slow down the branches, make full use of space, and improve tree yield and fruit quality.