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Horticulturae
Volume 11
Issue 8
10.3390/horticulturae11080965
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.] Fruit Quality Influenced by Plant Pruning

by
Jorge Cadena-Iñiguez
1,2,
Ma. de Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza
2,3,
Juan F. Aguirre-Medina
4,
Carlos H. Avendaño-Arrazate
2,5,
Daniel A. Cadena-Zamudio
2,
Jorge David Cadena-Zamudio
2,5,
Ramón M. Soto-Hernández
2,3,*,
Víctor M. Cisneros-Solano
2,6,
Lucero del Mar Ruiz-Posadas
2,3,
Celeste Soto-Mendoza
2 and
Jorge L. Mejía-Méndez
2,3
1
Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus San Luis Potosí, Salinas de Hidalgo CP 78600, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
2
Interdisciplinary Research Group of Sechium edule in Mexico, A.C. (GISeM), Agustin Melgar 10, Texcoco CP 56160, Mexico
3
Colegio de Postgraduados, Km. 36.5 Carretera México-Texcoco, Montecillo, Texcoco CP 56264, Estado de Mexico, Mexico
4
Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas, Ciencias Agrícolas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez CP 29050, Chiapas, Mexico
5
Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Centro Nacional de Recursos Genéticos, Boulevard de la Biodiversidad 400, Tepatitlán de Morelos CP 47600, Jalisco, Mexico
6
Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Centro Regional Universitario Oriente, Huatusco, Veracruz CP 94100, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Horticulturae 2025, 11(8), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080965 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 19 June 2025 / Revised: 6 August 2025 / Accepted: 8 August 2025 / Published: 14 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Strategies for Agrochemical-Conventional Management in Horticultural Crops)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Plant pruning is the selective removal of specific plant parts to enhance growth, shape, and health. In this work, the effects of pruning were evaluated regarding the physiological parameters, maturity, quality, and harvest indices and the nutritional quality features of twelve chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw] (Cucurbitaceae) varieties. GC-FID approaches were utilized to determine CO2 assimilation rates. The results demonstrated that pruning upregulated the leaf temperature and conductance but decreased transpiration and CO2 assimilation rates within the evaluated period (06:30 a.m.–16:23 p.m.). It was noted that the implementation of pruning also impacted samples with enhanced photosynthetically active radiation activity, with a positive correlation with CO2 assimilation. The macro- and micronutrient content was higher in samples with an epidermis, especially for S. edule var. albus spinosum. Nevertheless, the analyzed samples presented low (5–10 mL CO2 kg−1 h−1), medium (10–15 mL CO2 kg−1 h−1), and high levels (15–20 mL CO2 kg−1 h−1) of respiratory intensity and weight loss (7–17%)—effects attributed to botanical differences between the studied chayote varieties. This work demonstrates, for the first time, the effects of pruning in chayote orchards and expands the knowledge regarding the implementation of effective approaches to produce plants with culinary, cultural, and medicinal implications. Further approaches are required to determine the effects of pruning on chayote after harvest.
Keywords: horticultural techniques; sustainable agriculture; Sechium edule; crop management horticultural techniques; sustainable agriculture; Sechium edule; crop management

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MDPI and ACS Style

Cadena-Iñiguez, J.; Arévalo-Galarza, M.d.L.; Aguirre-Medina, J.F.; Avendaño-Arrazate, C.H.; Cadena-Zamudio, D.A.; Cadena-Zamudio, J.D.; Soto-Hernández, R.M.; Cisneros-Solano, V.M.; Ruiz-Posadas, L.d.M.; Soto-Mendoza, C.; et al. Chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.] Fruit Quality Influenced by Plant Pruning. Horticulturae 2025, 11, 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080965

AMA Style

Cadena-Iñiguez J, Arévalo-Galarza MdL, Aguirre-Medina JF, Avendaño-Arrazate CH, Cadena-Zamudio DA, Cadena-Zamudio JD, Soto-Hernández RM, Cisneros-Solano VM, Ruiz-Posadas LdM, Soto-Mendoza C, et al. Chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.] Fruit Quality Influenced by Plant Pruning. Horticulturae. 2025; 11(8):965. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080965

Chicago/Turabian Style

Cadena-Iñiguez, Jorge, Ma. de Lourdes Arévalo-Galarza, Juan F. Aguirre-Medina, Carlos H. Avendaño-Arrazate, Daniel A. Cadena-Zamudio, Jorge David Cadena-Zamudio, Ramón M. Soto-Hernández, Víctor M. Cisneros-Solano, Lucero del Mar Ruiz-Posadas, Celeste Soto-Mendoza, and et al. 2025. "Chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.] Fruit Quality Influenced by Plant Pruning" Horticulturae 11, no. 8: 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080965

APA Style

Cadena-Iñiguez, J., Arévalo-Galarza, M. d. L., Aguirre-Medina, J. F., Avendaño-Arrazate, C. H., Cadena-Zamudio, D. A., Cadena-Zamudio, J. D., Soto-Hernández, R. M., Cisneros-Solano, V. M., Ruiz-Posadas, L. d. M., Soto-Mendoza, C., & Mejía-Méndez, J. L. (2025). Chayote [Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.] Fruit Quality Influenced by Plant Pruning. Horticulturae, 11(8), 965. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11080965

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