Xu Jie

Author    Correspondence author
Plant Gene and Trait, 2026, Vol. 17, No.   
Received: 01 Jan., 1970    Accepted: 01 Jan., 1970    Published: 26 Oct., 2026

This study examines recent English-language research on canopy architecture, pruning, flowering, fruit thinning, fruit quality, and orchard sensing. Mandarin studies provide the principal evidence; findings from other citrus crops are used with explicit attention to their transferability. The analysis distinguishes light interception from light distribution, carbohydrate availability from developmental signaling, and total yield from marketable production. Pruning can improve canopy renewal, but its effects depend on tree age, treatment timing, retained foliage, and subsequent crop load. Thinning can improve fruit growth, yet very low loads do not necessarily improve soluble solids or peel condition. A literature-based Satsuma case compares a greenhouse canopy-training investigation with a separate delayed-harvest crop-load experiment. Both studies support an integrated approach to canopy management and fruiting regulation. This study aims to clarify the relationships among canopy architecture, crop load, and fruit quality, provide a theoretical basis for the appropriate combination of pruning and thinning practices in mandarin production, and offer management guidance for increasing marketable fruit yield, improving fruit quality, and maintaining stable production over successive seasons.