Italy is a major grape producer, but further growth of the sector requires a reduction in production costs, which is in part obtainable with wider use of mechanical harvesting. Emilia-Romagna is one of the principal regions of Italian grape production, with around 30% of its wine-growing areas located on hills. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of grape harvesting by comparing the performances and costs of two mechanical harvesting systems: one with a self-propelled harvester and the other with a tractor-drawn harvester (trailed machine). Harvesting trials were conducted in two typical conditions of Emilia-Romagna: a vineyard in a flat area with Vitis vinifera L. cv. Trebbiano Romagnolo, and a vineyard in the hills with cv. Sangiovese. The cost of mechanical harvesting in these two vineyards was compared with that of manual harvesting and with the cost of machine rental, analyzing the cost-effectiveness by varying the labor costs and value of the harvested grapes. The technical and economic evaluation indicated that the two trial conditions affected the operating parameters of the harvesters, and the most important element of the costs is the indirect costs due to harvest losses. The material capacity of the self-propelled harvester was 45% more in the flat vineyard and 40% more in the hill vineyard than that of the trailed harvester. The system with the self-propelled harvester has fewer losses but is only cost-effective on large areas (45 and 51 ha). Considering the total harvesting cost in reference to unit yield, the values range from 40 to 45 € Mg-1 in the flat vineyard and from 50 to 60 € Mg-1 in the hill vineyard. Compared to manual harvesting, the break-even point of the trailed harvester is reached on areas of 7 to 8 ha, while an area of 12 to 14 ha is necessary for the self-propelled harvester. Compared to machine rental, the break-even point for purchasing a machine increases to 18 and 23 ha for the trailed harvester and to 27 and 30 ha for the self-propelled harvester in hill and flat vineyards, respectively.
Pezzi, F., Martelli, R. (2015). Technical and economic evaluation of mechanical grape harvesting in flat and hill vineyards. TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASABE, 58(2), 297-303 [10.13031/trans.58.10997].
Technical and economic evaluation of mechanical grape harvesting in flat and hill vineyards
PEZZI, FABIO;MARTELLI, ROBERTA
2015
Abstract
Italy is a major grape producer, but further growth of the sector requires a reduction in production costs, which is in part obtainable with wider use of mechanical harvesting. Emilia-Romagna is one of the principal regions of Italian grape production, with around 30% of its wine-growing areas located on hills. The aim of this study was to conduct an analysis of grape harvesting by comparing the performances and costs of two mechanical harvesting systems: one with a self-propelled harvester and the other with a tractor-drawn harvester (trailed machine). Harvesting trials were conducted in two typical conditions of Emilia-Romagna: a vineyard in a flat area with Vitis vinifera L. cv. Trebbiano Romagnolo, and a vineyard in the hills with cv. Sangiovese. The cost of mechanical harvesting in these two vineyards was compared with that of manual harvesting and with the cost of machine rental, analyzing the cost-effectiveness by varying the labor costs and value of the harvested grapes. The technical and economic evaluation indicated that the two trial conditions affected the operating parameters of the harvesters, and the most important element of the costs is the indirect costs due to harvest losses. The material capacity of the self-propelled harvester was 45% more in the flat vineyard and 40% more in the hill vineyard than that of the trailed harvester. The system with the self-propelled harvester has fewer losses but is only cost-effective on large areas (45 and 51 ha). Considering the total harvesting cost in reference to unit yield, the values range from 40 to 45 € Mg-1 in the flat vineyard and from 50 to 60 € Mg-1 in the hill vineyard. Compared to manual harvesting, the break-even point of the trailed harvester is reached on areas of 7 to 8 ha, while an area of 12 to 14 ha is necessary for the self-propelled harvester. Compared to machine rental, the break-even point for purchasing a machine increases to 18 and 23 ha for the trailed harvester and to 27 and 30 ha for the self-propelled harvester in hill and flat vineyards, respectively.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
