Abstract: Three-year-old ‘Venus Gold/M9’ was used as the test material, the effects of multi-center stem canopy and free spindle canopy on the utilization of light energy in apple trees were studied by using two pruning methods, multi-center stem canopy and free spindle canopy, in order to provide reference for apple production in China.The results showed that there was no significant difference in extinction coefficient between the two tree shapes; the multi-center stem shape increased the overall light energy interception of the leaf canopy under photosynthetic effective radiation at a height of 0-100 cm, but the transmittance was lower than that of the free spindle tree; the spectral absorption of multi-center stem was better than that of free spindle shape.The multi-center stem shape increased the photosynthetic rate of the upper and lower leaves during the growth season, and the seasonal variation of photosynthetic rate was more stable.The diurnal variation of photosynthesis in different types of branches with multi-center stem shapes was better than that of free spindle shapes, and the total photosynthesis of single branches also increased.In summary, ‘Venus Gold/M9’ adopts a multi-center stem shape, which could significantly improve the photosynthetic performance and light energy interception of the entire tree, promoting tree growth.