Performance response of the harvester 'TRINOVA II' and the 'TRINOVA II - pruner' to mechanized management tests on vineyards trained to 'free moveable cordon'. II - pruning trials.

摘要

The integrated research project initiated in 1980 by the Chair of Viticulture at the University of Bologna has focused on two priority objectives; the development of what has become the free moveable cordon (FMC) training system, and the designing of the multi-purpose TRINOVA experimental unit for mechanized harvesting, pruning and spraying operations. Both the FMC and the TRINOVA have been extensively tested over the last decade, and in 1995 the Officine Meccaniche Tanesini at Faenza introduced anew commercial TRINOVA line - the TRINOVA II harvester and the TRINOVA II PRUNER for year-round operations. The present study reports the 1998 performance data of the pruning machine on cv. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon, in large plantings trained to FMC. Under winter conditions with a 2-man crew, the TRINOVA ll PRUNER logged a drive speed of about 2 km/h, although an additional 2 men on the unit for manual finishing cut the speed to about 1.5 km/h. The unit'soperational capability also varied depending on speed and crew size, ranging from about 4 to just over 11 h/ha. Under fully mechanized operations, the TRINOVA ll-PRUNER left an average of 57 buds/m of cordon, which dropped to about 50 with hand finishing. In both cases, the buds were distributed over short spurs (1-3 buds) largely (90%) found on the dorsal and sides of the permanent cordons. For summer pruning, carried out at pre- and post-bloom and pre-harvest, it recorded a drive speed of 9 km/h and about 2 ha/h with a one-man crew.