Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis
Pruning is one of the most expensive tasks in citrus production, and its mechanization could increase the productivity and competitiveness of citrus farms. The effect of mechanical pruning on yield depends on the variety, crop condition, and location; among other factors. The ‘Clemenules’ mandarin v...
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| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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MDPI
2022
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| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7989 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/4/761 |
| _version_ | 1855032708922605568 |
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| author | Fonte, Alberto Torregrosa, Antonio Garcerá, Cruz Mateu, Guillermo Chueca, Patricia |
| author_browse | Chueca, Patricia Fonte, Alberto Garcerá, Cruz Mateu, Guillermo Torregrosa, Antonio |
| author_facet | Fonte, Alberto Torregrosa, Antonio Garcerá, Cruz Mateu, Guillermo Chueca, Patricia |
| author_sort | Fonte, Alberto |
| collection | ReDivia |
| description | Pruning is one of the most expensive tasks in citrus production, and its mechanization could increase the productivity and competitiveness of citrus farms. The effect of mechanical pruning on yield depends on the variety, crop condition, and location; among other factors. The ‘Clemenules’ mandarin variety is one of the most important ones; therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effects of twelve pruning strategies on ‘Clemenules’ yield over four years, and to conduct an economic analysis. These strategies included fully manual pruning, annual alternation of mechanical/manual pruning, mechanical pruning with manual follow-up, and fully mechanical pruning with different types of cuttings. The results showed that pruning strategies affected the yield and fruit size in some years of the study but not when the four years overall are considered. Strategies that annually alternated mechanical pruning with manual pruning had higher yields than the fully mechanical approaches, and similar yields to the manual and control (no pruning) strategies. Furthermore, although the mechanical pruning costs per hectare were as minimum two times less than those with manual pruning, higher net value was achieved with the manual pruning approach followed by alternate annual mechanical/manual pruning. In conclusion, after four years of study, the pruning strategy with the best global results for ‘Clemenules’ mandarin was that which involved annually alternating mechanical (topping and one-sided hedging) and manual pruning. This strategy allows maintaining regular tree dimensions without dry branches inside. |
| format | article |
| id | ReDivia7989 |
| institution | Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (IVIA) |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| publisherStr | MDPI |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ReDivia79892025-04-25T14:48:38Z Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis Fonte, Alberto Torregrosa, Antonio Garcerá, Cruz Mateu, Guillermo Chueca, Patricia Canopy management Fruit diameter Manual pruning Working capacity Mediterranean conditions N20 Agricultural machinery and equipment F01 Crop husbandry F50 Plant structure E16 Production economics Citrus Mechanization Yields Economic analysis Mechanical pruning Mandarins Pruning is one of the most expensive tasks in citrus production, and its mechanization could increase the productivity and competitiveness of citrus farms. The effect of mechanical pruning on yield depends on the variety, crop condition, and location; among other factors. The ‘Clemenules’ mandarin variety is one of the most important ones; therefore, the aim of this work was to study the effects of twelve pruning strategies on ‘Clemenules’ yield over four years, and to conduct an economic analysis. These strategies included fully manual pruning, annual alternation of mechanical/manual pruning, mechanical pruning with manual follow-up, and fully mechanical pruning with different types of cuttings. The results showed that pruning strategies affected the yield and fruit size in some years of the study but not when the four years overall are considered. Strategies that annually alternated mechanical pruning with manual pruning had higher yields than the fully mechanical approaches, and similar yields to the manual and control (no pruning) strategies. Furthermore, although the mechanical pruning costs per hectare were as minimum two times less than those with manual pruning, higher net value was achieved with the manual pruning approach followed by alternate annual mechanical/manual pruning. In conclusion, after four years of study, the pruning strategy with the best global results for ‘Clemenules’ mandarin was that which involved annually alternating mechanical (topping and one-sided hedging) and manual pruning. This strategy allows maintaining regular tree dimensions without dry branches inside. 2022-03-24T11:36:46Z 2022-03-24T11:36:46Z 2022 article publishedVersion Fonte, A., Torregrosa, A., Garcerá, C., Mateu, G. & Chueca, P. (2022). Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis. Agronomy, 12(4), 761. 2073-4395 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7989 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/4/761 en info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO/Programa estatal de i+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad/RTA2014-00025-C05-00/Aplicación de nuevas tecnologías para la estrategia integral de la recolección mecanizada de cítricos/CITRUSREC This research was funded by (1) the project “Application of new technologies for a comprehensive strategy of mechanized citrus harvesting (CITRUSREC)” funded by the Spanish National Institute for Agriculture and Food Research and Technology (INIA) and the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness of Spain (project RTA2014-00025-C05-00), co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This research was funded by (2) the project of the Operative Group “Technological advances for modernization and sustainability in citrus production (GO CITRUSTECH)” co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) (80%) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food (20%). This research was funded by (3) the project “Engineering developments to ensure profitable, sustainable and competitive agriculture from farm to fork” co-financed by the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA) and by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 3.0 España http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/ openAccess MDPI electronico |
| spellingShingle | Canopy management Fruit diameter Manual pruning Working capacity Mediterranean conditions N20 Agricultural machinery and equipment F01 Crop husbandry F50 Plant structure E16 Production economics Citrus Mechanization Yields Economic analysis Mechanical pruning Mandarins Fonte, Alberto Torregrosa, Antonio Garcerá, Cruz Mateu, Guillermo Chueca, Patricia Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title | Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title_full | Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title_short | Mechanical Pruning of ‘Clemenules’ Mandarins in Spain: Yield Effects and Economic Analysis |
| title_sort | mechanical pruning of clemenules mandarins in spain yield effects and economic analysis |
| topic | Canopy management Fruit diameter Manual pruning Working capacity Mediterranean conditions N20 Agricultural machinery and equipment F01 Crop husbandry F50 Plant structure E16 Production economics Citrus Mechanization Yields Economic analysis Mechanical pruning Mandarins |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11939/7989 https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/4/761 |
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