Field evaluation on a towed multi-function row straddling machine for the cultivation of goblet vineyards

In a project aiming to develop a machine recognise as innovative (ENAMA, 2009) and involving the building company FA.MA (MN, Italy), the Dept. GeSA-Mechanics Section (University of Catania, Italy) and the CRAING Treviglio (BG, Italy), a handcrafted pre-prototype, used for farming operations in a vineyard of eastern Sicily has been redesigned and refined, and a Multifunction Towed, Row-Straddling Machine has been created which satisfies the requirements of the rational cultivation of goblet vines. The “multifunction towed row-straddling machine” is a specific proposal for the mechanization of the goblet vines, a vine training method able to provide high quality grapes but that had been practically abandoned because of the high level of manpower it required. The choice of technical solutions was made considering the form of goblet vines (wide foliage, short trunk, vegetation near the ground), the use of simple, reliable tools, and the stability and flexibility of the use of the machine. This research presents the results of field trials carried out to assess the functionality of each machine from time to time applied to the frame. The innovative prototype doubtlessly brings ecological-environmental advantages and trials show that the two rotary tillers, working simultaneously both the sides of the rows, are very efficient. We affirm that his machine is able to overcome the limits connected to the historical unavailability of adequate mechanization for goblet vines.