Electronic shears require less effort than manual pruning to cut through fairly thick wood.

With Delicata’s winter grapevine pruning programme well under way, many growers are increasingly switching to the use of electronic pruning shears rather than the traditional manual shears to snip through what can be thousands of vines a week.

These efficient, labour-saving devices are powered by modern lightweight batteries that can be worn as a slim-line backpack.

One of the main advantages is that the electronic shears require less effort than manual pruning to cut through fairly thick wood, due to the sheer power of the device. The pruning process also becomes much faster.

The physical strain required for manual pruning can lead to the development of tendinitis, especially after a continued number of days pruning, at between five to eight hours a day.

The energy saved by the electronic shears helps combat this health problem and also benefits a would-be tired pruner by better focusing his attention, allowing him to concentrate effectively for a longer period of time and make better pruning decisions.

One of the dangers of pruning is making a big cut, which might expose the vines to wood disease. So the avoidance of ‘over-cutting’ is more likely if the pruner is less tired.

Although the financial capital outlay is higher, these costs are quickly recuperated because less people are required to prune and the average speed of pruning is increased from approximately 300 vines per day to 500, thereby reducing the amount of time needed to prune a vineyard by well over a third.

The ultimate result is the growth of better quality grapes at higher efficiency, therefore increasing the sustainability of viticulture.

This forms part of an ongoing project that Delicata’s viticultural team has been working on with its hundreds of growers for many years.