Pruning a grapevine is a complex, expert task that is fundamental to the vine’s health and fruit quality. The process involves a sequence of decisions and actions that, when followed, ensure a healthy and productive vine.
1. Optimal Timing: The first critical step is deciding the ideal moment to begin. This is based on the type of pruning. Winter pruning for shaping the vine, or summer pruning to manage the canopy. The right time depends on the grape variety, climate, and labor availability.
2. Planning the Route: Organizing the work by vineyard blocks, prioritizing younger vines and adapting to the terrain to ensure efficiency and reduce physical strain on workers.
3. Vine Analysis: The pruner should analyse each vine’s structure, vigor, and health, while also identifying the training system in use, such as Guyot or Royat, to define the pruning strategy.
4. Method Selection: Based on the vine’s specific characteristics, the pruner chooses the appropriate method. The two main approaches are spur pruning (leaving short spurs) and cane pruning (leaving longer canes), a critical choice for balancing growth and yield.
5. Identifying Cuts: The pruner identifies which canes or spurs are the most fruitful by assessing bud fertility, cane thickness, and overall vine vigor.
6. Tool Selection: The right tools improve efficiency and safety. Depending on the wood thickness, pruners may use manual or electric shears, always considering proper tool hygiene is also crucial, to prevent disease spread.
7. Executing the Cut: Making clean, precise, and angled cuts just above the last bud promotes rapid healing and helps prevent disease.
8. Evaluating the Result: Stepping back to review the work, and checking that the vine’s structure is balanced and aligns with its training system, ensures long-term vine health.
9. Debris Management: All pruned material must be managed. It can be shredded and used as mulch to enrich the soil or removed entirely from the vineyard to prevent pest buildup and maintain a clean environment.
Grapevine pruning is a strategic, expert task that significantly impacts a vine’s long-term health, the quality of its fruit and its derived products. AgRimate is bringing a new level of innovation to this field, by using AI, Augmented Reality, and robotics,to optimise the pruning process, improve its sustainability, and enhance the overall health and well-being of the workers.
