PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - GARY B. WILSON
TI  - Five Years of Machine Pruning: A Grower's Experience
AID  - 10.5344/ajev.1983.34.1.40
DP  - 1983 Jan 01
TA  - American Journal of Enology and Viticulture
PG  - 40--41
VI  - 34
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/34/1/40.short
4100  - http://www.ajevonline.org/content/34/1/40.full
SO  - Am J Enol Vitic.1983 Jan 01; 34
AB  - In 1978, test plots were established to evaluate machine pruning of Salvador, Barbera, and French Colombard grapes. A vineyard pruning machine was developed. Yields and sugars were collected for three harvest seasons. All tests but one showed increased yields and reduced sugars. Total sugar produced in the three years was increased 6% in Salvador, 13% in Barbera, and 7% in French Colombard. The labor costs of pruning complete blocks of the same varieties were collected as they progressed from hand pruning (1977) to machine aided (1978-80) to machine pruning (1981-82). Machine pruning substantially reduced hand pruning labor costs even though wage rates increased during the same period. Total pruning costs were also reduced.