Responses of shoot growth, return flowering, and fruit yield to post-pruning practices and growth regulator application in olive trees

•Post-pruning practices were assessed after winter mechanical pruning in olive trees.•Tip heading of new shoots led to lateral shoot formation and no return flowering.•Watersprout thinning was associated with higher fruit number and yield.•Post-pruning use of mepiquat chloride (1500 ppm) had little effect on return flowering.•Higher mepiquat chloride doses on unpruned trees increased return flowering and yield.