Designing labour-efficient canopies
June 2016 | Prepared by Ross Wilson, AgFirst NZ | Future Orchards® notes and presentation
Ross Wilson argues that orchard labour efficiency starts with canopy design. He describes the future canopy as SNAP: Simple, Narrow, Accessible and Productive. Narrow, planar canopies reduce wasted movement, improve access for people and machinery, and support consistent light distribution and fruit quality.
The notes link canopy design directly to economics. Labour is identified as the largest orchard cost, and the resource sets performance targets around high Class 1 yield, labour cost per kilogram, rapid canopy fill and an economically sensible return on investment. It also stresses that high light interception must be balanced with enough light reaching fruit throughout the canopy.
The presentation compares older wide, vigorous trees with modern spindle and multi-leader systems. It discusses dwarfing rootstocks, lower tree height, narrower row spacing, mechanical trimming and future compatibility with platforms, cameras, robots and over-row equipment. The overall message is that technology adoption becomes much easier when the orchard architecture has been designed for it.
