Root Pruning
At a Glance
| Challenge | Objectively managing variable tree vigour through root pruning hasn’t been an option until now. Manual pruner operation is both highly subjective and fatiguing for the pruning equipment operator. |
|---|---|
| Solution | Green Atlas Cartographer enables objective and repeatable tree vigour assessment at scale, able to be directly applied to automated root pruning equipment. |
| Result | A more uniform canopy to maximise efficiency, fruit quality, and profitability. |
| Applicable Crops | All crops able to be root pruned. |
The Subjectivity of ‘Looking out the Windscreen’ Agronomy
Agronomy is hard while driving a tractor.
Root pruning is a powerful tool used to check excessive vegetative growth, but its success depends entirely on knowing exactly where and when to cut.
- Binary Decision Factor: A couple of dozen chosen trees are statistically unlikely to represent average tree performance within a block. A slight manual miscount on a sample tree is multiplied across the entire block, potentially creating massive discrepancies in estimated tonnage.Historically, ‘prescription mapped’ root pruning hasn’t been an option, so growers only had a single binary choice; prune the whole block, or not. For blocks with soil induced variability and high and low vigour trees, neither choice fixes the problem.
- Fatigue Factor: For an operator sitting in a tractor for multiple hours, identifying the subtle transition from a ‘high vigour’ zone to a ‘moderate vigour’ zone through a dusty window is nearly impossible. The challenge only increases when working to the individual tree.
- Over-Correction Risks: If an operator root-prunes a tree that is already weak or stressed, they risk stunting the tree or significantly reducing its yield potential. Conversely, being too timid in a high-vigour zone fails to solve the growth problem.
- Inconsistent Execution: Without a guide, the application of the pruning often fluctuates based on the operator’s intuition, leading to an orchard that is potentially just as variable as it was before the task began.
LiDAR-Derived Vigour Prescriptions
Replace objectivity with automated measurement.
Green Atlas Cartographer provides an objective, 100% census of tree vigour by directly measuring the canopy.
- Automated Vigour Assessment: Using LiDAR, the system measures tree height, canopy volume, canopy density, and leaf-area.
- Variable Rate Prescriptions: The high precision tree vigour data is converted into a Prescription Map. This file tells the root pruning equipment exactly when to engage, and when to lift the blade.
- Repeatable Baseline: Because the data is digital, managers can compare maps from previous years or at multiple points through the season to see how specific blocks are responding to root pruning, allowing for the refinement of vigour targets over time.
Engineered Uniformity & Canopy Balance
Opportunities for profitability.
By automating the decision-making process for the equipment, the orchard should reach a state of ‘guided uniformity’ that benefits the entire operation:
- Maximised Resource Efficiency: Tree parameters are driven towards their optimum ‘fruiting envelope’. This ensures that sunlight, water, and nutrients are directed toward fruit production rather than unproductive wood and leaf growth.
- Enhanced Fruit Quality: Balanced trees produce fruit with better color and higher sugar levels because they aren't ‘shading out’ their own fruiting wood with excessive canopy.
- Operator Empowerment: The tractor operator no longer has to guess. They simply follow the map or allow the automated system to control the blade, reducing fatigue and ensuring 100% accuracy in execution across the entire block.
- Long-Term Profitability: By stabilizing vigour across the block, every subsequent task, from mechanical pruning to harvesting, can become faster and more cost-effective.
Get Started
Root prune with confidence.
Find your nearest Green Atlas service provider to discuss how variable rate root pruning can improve your orchard.