Selective and automatic pruning method for vines, comprises guiding arms and pre-trimming shear, manually directed protection for selected shoots which will be saved and main pruning shear
As the machine advances (A) shoots are gathered together by funnel section arms and pre-trimmed by a rotating shear (202). Shoots which are to become next year's branch are selected by the operator and protected by shields (301) mechanically lowered from a belt which gives zero motion relative to the ground. The remaining shoots are cut by the main pruning shear (2) and the old branch is cut (K) manually. An Independent claim is also included for the selective and automatic pruning machine.
