The aim of the research was to find ways to increase the productivity of apple orchards by developing methods for pruning trees that maintain a physiological balance between growth and fruiting. The research was conducted in the experimental apple orchard of the Spica-N Agro Farm Cooperative in the village of Onitcani, the district of Criuleni. The orchard was planted in 2009 with apple trees of Gala Delicious, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith varieties, grafted on the dwarfing rootstock M9. The orchards were laid out with 1m between trees in the row, and 3.5 m between rows. The tree crowns had the shape of an improved slender spindle. During the experiment, two pruning methods were studied: G1 – the maintenance and thinning pruning (the control group); G2 – the maintenance and thinning pruning without the shortening of main branches. The experiment was performed using four groups of eight trees each. The maintenance and thinning pruning (G1 – the control group) was performed according to the methodical guidelines on modern orchards in the Republic of Moldova. The care and phytosanitary protection of the trees were carried out in accordance with the provisions of the technology for growing apple trees. The soil in the orchard was maintained by its artificial grassing and the utilization of herbicides. Foliar application of urea and some micronutrients to fruit trees, i.e. foliar fertilization, as well as fertigation using the drip irrigation as needed, were regularly carried out in the orchards. The apple trees of the studied varieties reached a maximum yield of 18-20 kg/tree in 2019.The trees in G2, were used, produced a higher crop as compared with the control group. When the Gala Delicious apple trees reached the age of eleven, they produced 60.9 t/ha in G1 and 65.4 t/ha in G2. The same legitimacy was registered for the Golden Delicious and Granny Smith varieties, i.e. the harvest increased when the maintenance and thinning pruning without the shortening of main branches were used. In 2020, the fruit harvest decreased considerably, as opposed to the previous year, and was only between 19.6-48.3 t/ha. The Gala Delicious and Golden Delicious varieties produced higher crops in contrast with the Granny Smith variety. The maintenance and thinning pruning without the shortening of main branches also increased the fruit production by 5-9 t/ha as compared to the maintenance and thinning pruning used in the control group. In 2021, the fruit yield was influenced not only by the pruning system, but also by the climatic conditions during the flowering of the trees. The Gala Delicious variety produced between 35.9-38.8 t/ha, the Granny Smith variety – between 39.2-42.7 t/ha and the Golden delicious variety – between 27.1-28.3 t/ha. In conclusion, it can be emphasized that the maintenance and thinning pruning without the shortening of main branches of the apple trees of the Golden Delicious, Gala Delicious and Granny Smith varieties, grafted on the semi-dwarf rootstock M9, is a technological process that is worth using in modern apple orchards