Sour cherries cv. 'Stevnsbær' and plums cv. 'Victoria' were heavily pruned in 1987. Fruit samples were collected during the growing season and concentrations of different quality components were determined.
Pruning resulted in a small increase in fruit size, the effect being greater on the older trees (sour cherries) or at the lower crop load (plum). Additionally, pruning decreased the con­centrations of total and soluble dry matter and of anthocya­nins ('Stevnsbær'), while titratable acids showed an increas­ing tendency.
The effects of pruning are discussed based on influences on root/top-ratios and source stength - sink strength rela­tionships.