Tractor Mounted Grapevine Pruning System

Abstract

The pruning of grapevines is essential in managing and ensuring high-quality fruit yields. This task traditionally requires a lot of labor and time to perform, which, given labor shortages, can significantly impact crop yield if it is not completed. Hence, this paper introduces a semi-automated pruning system that can be mounted to a standard tractor and operated by a single user. We leverage LIDAR technology to determine the cutting position using a purpose-built algorithm, a four-bar mechanism with a rotary cutting head, and GPS to determine speed changes. We can demonstrate that our system can prune a cordon with minimal damage to the plant at a rate of 7.3 s/vine.