Economic efficiency of mechanized garden pruning in conditions of staff shortage.

Economic efficiency of mechanized garden pruning in conditions of staff shortage.

In modern gardening, tree pruning is one of the key agrotechnical operations that influences tree health and garden productivity. However, traditional manual pruning methods are becoming less and less efficient due to rising labor costs and a lack of qualified workers. Amid these challenges mechanized pruning of the garden is gaining more and more popularity. This technology allows not only to reduce production costs, but also to increase the efficiency of work, which makes it an attractive investment for farmers.

Traditional pruning methods

Although manual tree pruning allows you to control each step of the process, it is expensive both in terms of time and resources. Attracting experienced workers requires significant financial costs, and this method becomes economically unprofitable for large gardens. Besides, the process of manual pruning requires more time, which can delay the agrotechnical cycle and other important operations, such as fertilization or tree treatment.

Mechanized pruning

Mechanized pruning involves the use of specialized equipment that automates the tree pruning process. Equipment, such as tractors with pruning attachments or automatic shears allows you to cut large areas of the garden in a short time. This is especially important for large garden farms, where mechanization allows to reduce the dependence on human labor. 

Typical devices for mechanized pruning are mounted contour cutters.

Contour garden cutters

Segment garden cutters

• Disc garden cutters allow to quickly cut branches up to 10 cm in diameter and smaller branches at a speed of up to 5 km/h.

• Mechanical shears or segment cutters

• Automatic systems are even able to shape tree crowns during pruning.

Economic advantages

One of the main economic advantages of mechanized pruning is labor cost reduction.

If we take as a basis a planting scheme of 4*1.5 m, with branches up to 5 cm thick, then 1 tractor operator of a disc tree cutter is capable of trimming about 0.8 ha/h, or 6-6.5 ha/shift. That is 10,000 trees.

1 qualified worker is able to cut manually about 200 trees per shift.

It should also be noted that mechanized pruning does not completely exclude manual pruning, but in this case the productivity of manual pruning of the garden is 3-4 times higher.

With an equal salary of 1,500 UAH for 1 shift, taking into account additional manual pruning the costs for fuel and lubricants are as follows:

10 ha = 16000 trees = 80 work shifts = 120 000 UAH, that is 12000 UAH/ha

10 ha = 1,5 work shift = 2250 UAH (diesel fuel) + 16000 UAH (manual cutting) that is 2025 UAH/ha

Taking into account depreciation, ownership expenses etc., we see that the difference will be up to 8,000 UAH per hectare.

Also, an important aspect is the reduction of equipment in the garden. Owing to the speed of work, gardeners can start other agrotechnical operations on time, which has a positive effect on the overall efficiency of production.

Regarding the return on investment, although modern pruning equipment has a high initial cost of about 600,000 UAH, it can pay off in a few seasons, and if there are 70 hectares, even in the first season, due to reduced labor costs and increased yield. It should also be mentioned that the shortage of qualified staff will only increase in the coming years, so will the cost of those that are available on the labor market.

Quality and yield

It is a common myth that mechanized pruning is less precise than manual pruning, but modern technologies allow to rich high precision. This ensures the optimal shape of the trees crown, which contributes to better light penetration and air circulation. As a result, the yield increases and the quality of the fruits improves.

Additional benefits

In addition to economic aspects mechanized pruning has other advantages. For example, reducing physical stress on employees, which reduces the risk of injuries and illnesses. Also, due to a healthier garden the expenses of chemicals to fight diseases are reduced.

Summary

Mechanized garden pruning is an effective solution for modern gardeners, who aim to reduce expenses and increase productivity of their farms. Although the initial investments in machinery can be significant the labor savings, increased productivity and the speed of work make it efficient in the long run. The use of mechanization allows not only to ease work, but also to achieve better results in fruit production.