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VINEYARD REVIEW<br />
MECHANIZED<br />
VINEYARD<br />
IS IT THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE?<br />
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor<br />
Mechanization progress in a<br />
traditionally labor intensive crop<br />
is yielding improved production<br />
and quality.<br />
Wine grape growers in California’s<br />
San Joaquin Valley and other wine grape growing<br />
regions are finding benefits in University<br />
of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE)<br />
research into mechanized dormant pruning and<br />
shoot removal. While the traditional winegrape<br />
training system can work for mechanical harvest,<br />
mechanical dormant pruning and shoot removal<br />
operations have not been as successful. The aim<br />
in further mechanization is to lower labor costs<br />
while still ensuring crop yields and quality.<br />
Mechanical Pruning<br />
University of California (UC) researchers Kaan<br />
Kurtural, a specialist at the UC Davis Department<br />
of Viticulture and Enology and George Zhuang,<br />
UCCE viticulture advisor in Fresno County found<br />
that introducing mechanized pruning and other<br />
vine management operations could be done in<br />
existing vineyards. Vines could be re-trained<br />
during the transition from hand pruning and they<br />
would still retain production and fruit quality.<br />
This choice is significant for wine grape growers<br />
in the San Joaquin Valley, who produce more than<br />
half of the wine grapes in California, because in<br />
recent years they have faced increased labor costs,<br />
worker shortages and tighter profit margins.<br />
Vineyard photos courtesy of Kaan Kurtural.<br />
A report from UC Davis noted mechanical<br />
pruning in wine grape vineyards reduced<br />
38 Progressive Crop Consultant <strong>Nov</strong>ember / <strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>2019</strong>
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