Appropriate branch angle is an important technical parameter in the management of new trees to balance vegetative and reproductive growth. However, the effects of different branch angles on shoot growth and fruit quality of pear trees under flat trellis cultivation mode are poorly known. This study was done on Pyrus pyrifolia Nakai cv. ‘Cuiguan’ pear trees using the flat-type trellis cultivation mode in the “Double Primary Branches along the Row” (or, “double-arm”) orchard. The three base angles (T1 = 60°, T2 = 30°, T3 = 0°) of 2-year-old branches were tested, and the length and cross-sectional area of branch base (CSAB) of the current-year shoots and fruit quality were monitored over time. The relationship between fruit quality and shoot growth under different treatment conditions was analyzed. The results showed that the length of new shoots decreased in the order T2 > T1 > T3 and that CSAB decreased with an increase in the base angle (T3 > T2 > T1). The rapid growth of current-year shoots started earlier with a decrease in branch angle. The maximum relative growth rate ( v m ) in CSAB occurred 6.14 days earlier in the T3 than T1 group, with the overall trend being T3 > T2 > T1. In terms of fruit quality, the greatest relative change in daily growth rate regarding fruit weight, transverse and longitudinal diameter, and soluble solids in different treatment groups was recorded between 95 and 110 days after full bloom. The average solid-to-acid ratio in fruit at full maturity was T3 > T2 > T1, titratable acid content was T1>T3>T2 ( P T3>T2 ( P < 0.05). There was no significant correlation (at α = 0.05) between fruit weight, transverse diameter, longitudinal diameter, soluble solids, and fruit shape index across the treatments. This study clarified the relationship between shoot growth rate and fruit quality formation under different branch-base angles of trellised pear trees, contributing to the improvement of the double-arm pear tree–growing system.
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.