California table grape growers, collectively through the California Table Grape Commission (CTGC), are looking to mechanize and automate operational functions, with the goals of reduced costs and increased efficiency of vineyard operations, according to a press release.
One of CTGC’s priorities is to minimize the movement of labor and maximize production. A time and motion study conducted on harvest activities helped the industry understand where and how much time is spent on picking and packing tasks, the release said.
A second time and motion study on in-house packing is in the process of being completed; the goal is to understand how labor is distributed across tasks and facilities, and to identify potential areas of mechanization and automation.
Another priority for CTGC is to introduce automation to the harvesting of table grapes. This work is being done with the use of autonomous carts that aid in-vineyard movement of freshly harvested grapes, according to the release.
Other cart capabilities being tested include using sensors to detect ripe berries and robotics to pick ripe berry clusters without damaging the fruit. Research and development are also underway on such areas as crop mapping and estimation via cluster counting, berry size measurement, berry color detection and remote monitoring for increased water use efficiency.
Additionally, CTGC is researching mechanized tools to improve vineyard pruning efficiency, including hand-held, battery-powered pruners and tractor-mounted mechanical pruners that would be used in table grape trellis systems. A related product review on global tools and technologies available for mechanical pruning of table grapes was recently completed.
CTGC is considering other categories of innovation, too, such as sensing and spot-treating for pests and diseases, automated production and packing practices, and new vineyard infrastructure to facilitate automation and mechanization.
