Mechanical Harvesting Flashcards
What is the main fear with mechanical harvesting?
That it decreases quality. This is wrong however, because the country with the highest quality of wine utilizes 70% mechanical harvesting
6 considerations for vineyard design to promote mechanical harvesting
- Trellis geometry and pruning
- Row length
- Soil slope
- Wide turn-around area
- Floor management
- Easy vineyard access
two types of fundamental aspects of mechanical harvesting and their aim
- Vertical shaking
- Horizontal shaking
Main aim is to remove the remove the berry from the rachis without a loss of juice
One type of shaking is better than the other, which is it and why is it not used?
Vertical shaking in terms of quality is much better than horizontal-one.
It is not used as much however because it is limited to the training system where we have a split canopy with 2 flexible cordons, like in GDC, but now the most of estates worldwide spread are getting into VSP for other reasons.
Four pros and two cons of Self propelled machines
Pros:
- High speed
- High efficiency
- Easy to move
- Multitasking
Cons:
- High purchasing and maintenance costs
- Heavy
Three pros and two cons of dragged our mounted machines:
Pros:
- Good for very steep slopes
- Light weight
- Lower costs
Cons:
* Low speed (up to 2 km/h)
* Medium effiiciency: 0.25 0.35 ha/h
3 points of interception and transport
- Baskets or flakes made of food-compatible materials
- Bottom opening
- Conveyor belts
Which is the better mechanically harvest vines?
On the left a perfect job, on the right unperfect, and this is because the vineyard on the right is very young, we need vines at least 4 years old.
The bad job performed by mechanical harvester may be caused by: (3)
- Unripen grapes;
- Dehydration of grapesàit would increase a lot the force that we have to apply to detach the berries;
- Unbalanced vines.
2 effects of pre-harvest trimming?
Removal of younger leaves
Possible reduction in storage
Negative effects of shaking? (6)
- Cane breakage
- Bud damage
- Lower yield?
- Xylem embolism
- Leaf dehydration upon machine shaking
- Diseases?
3 types of losses
- Losses on the ground
- One the vine (non-detached)
- Hidden losses (Must on vegetation or vaporised by blowers)
Another positive feature of mechanical harvest is the…
Natural selection of rotten berries, they stay attached on the rachis because every time some rot takes place, they increase the detachment force.
2 things that make a variety good for mechanical harvesting
- The capability to detach easily from the peduncle
- Skin thickness
Should we use T bars if we want to use mechanical harvesting
NO
