Articles
EVALUATION OF THE USE OF A DISC-SAW MACHINE IN WINTER PRUNING ‘ROCHA’ PEARS ORCHARDS – AN ACCOUNT OF FIVE YEARS
Article number
1094_36
Pages
281 – 288
Language
English
Abstract
Manual pruning with pneumatic shears is a current practice used by Rocha pear farmers in Portugal.
However, it is labour-intensive and therefore expensive.
Work started in 2008 to study a mechanised alternative based on a discs-saw pruning machine mounted on a front loader of an agricultural tractor.
The following three treatments were compared: T1 manual pruning performed annually using pneumatic shears; T2 mechanical pruning, performed annually, topping the canopy parallel to the ground; in 2008 and 2010 topping was followed by mechanical hedging of both sides of the canopy; in 2011 mechanical topping was complemented with manual pruning; T3 mechanical pruning, performed annually, topping the canopy parallel to the ground followed by a manual pruning complement; in 2008, prior to the manual complement, trees were hedged on both sides of the canopy.
A randomised complete block design was used, with three replications, leading to
9 plots with three lines of 10 trees per plot.
In each plot only the central line was used in the evaluation.
Trials were performed in a 20-year-old commercial orchard, planted in an array of 4×2 m with trees trained as central leader system.
The following data were collected: tree height and canopy width, before and after pruning interventions; weight of biomass removed; fruit yield and working rates.
Results show that yield in treatment 2 was always lower than in treatment 1; yield in treatment 3, except once, was always lower than in treatment 1. Mechanical pruning leads to a more uniform orchard when compared to manual pruning.
Although not beneficial in terms of yield, the use of the tractor mounted cutting bar prior to manual pruning interventions result in a reduction of time required by this expensive operation.
However, further field work at a real scale is needed to validate the economic value of the strategy of performing mechanical pruning, based on a disc-saws pruning machine, followed by a manual complement.
However, it is labour-intensive and therefore expensive.
Work started in 2008 to study a mechanised alternative based on a discs-saw pruning machine mounted on a front loader of an agricultural tractor.
The following three treatments were compared: T1 manual pruning performed annually using pneumatic shears; T2 mechanical pruning, performed annually, topping the canopy parallel to the ground; in 2008 and 2010 topping was followed by mechanical hedging of both sides of the canopy; in 2011 mechanical topping was complemented with manual pruning; T3 mechanical pruning, performed annually, topping the canopy parallel to the ground followed by a manual pruning complement; in 2008, prior to the manual complement, trees were hedged on both sides of the canopy.
A randomised complete block design was used, with three replications, leading to
9 plots with three lines of 10 trees per plot.
In each plot only the central line was used in the evaluation.
Trials were performed in a 20-year-old commercial orchard, planted in an array of 4×2 m with trees trained as central leader system.
The following data were collected: tree height and canopy width, before and after pruning interventions; weight of biomass removed; fruit yield and working rates.
Results show that yield in treatment 2 was always lower than in treatment 1; yield in treatment 3, except once, was always lower than in treatment 1. Mechanical pruning leads to a more uniform orchard when compared to manual pruning.
Although not beneficial in terms of yield, the use of the tractor mounted cutting bar prior to manual pruning interventions result in a reduction of time required by this expensive operation.
However, further field work at a real scale is needed to validate the economic value of the strategy of performing mechanical pruning, based on a disc-saws pruning machine, followed by a manual complement.
Publication
Authors
A.B. Dias, S. Patrocínio, S. Pereira, T. Brites, V. Pita, J.M. Mota Barroso
Keywords
pruning, work rates, pear production
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