The cultivation of papaya is mainly managed based on the traditional knowledge of the farmers, because the research in physiological aspects is scarce and there is no scientific information about the effect of the early pruning in the flowering. Pruning of lateral shoots usually takes place between 55 and 70 days after transplantation, when the first floral bud emerges, losing photoasimilates in the shoots in the first few days after the transplant. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of early pruning at the beginning of flowering of
