Following the modernisation, which has affected the agricultural practices in the last decades, the defoliation has evolved, from long manual operation, it has now become almost exclusively mechanical. Today, as a result, the defogliatrice, it is almost essential to the care of the vineyard: this is an agricultural machine of the type brought, and then applied to and operated through the tractor, which eliminates the leaves that cover the bunch ofgrapes in order to ensure the best conditions for the ripening of the grapes.

On the market there are many defogliatrici vineyard which differ in the working principle. How to choose the one best suited to your reality? Learn about the different types of machines is definitely the first step to begin to assess which is the model that best meets the needs of your vineyard.

In this article we will explain what is the defoliation of the vineyard, and we will do an overview of the main models of defogliatrice currently available on the market.

Defoliation: what is it, when you run it, and the benefits it mechanically

Defoliation, also called stripping, consists in removing the leaves that cover the grapes. This promotes the development of the grapes , because it allows a greater exposure to the sun and air, creating a sort of micro-climate that prevents the development of fungal diseases – and makes them better accessible from any drugs or treatments which are distributed through the sprayers. Remember that the exposure to the sun is essential to obtain high-quality grapes: the longer the grapes are exposed to the sun, the more you accumulate sugars, synthesize polyphenols in the peel and present aacidity is reduced.

The benefits of defoliation may vary based on when it is performed, the number of leaves that cover the bunch, and environmental conditions. In general, the peeling is especially recommended on the red grapes and in wine-producing areas located in cold areas.
Can be:

• Early. After thesetting, to start to remove the leaves, which can hamper the proper ripening of the fruit;
• Late. Afterripening, especially in the areas rainy and grapes ripens late, as further helps to prevent the development of mold.

Once the peeling was performed only manually, and for every hectare of vineyard could take up to fifty/sixty hours of work, resulting in very high cost of labor. Today, thanks tothe use of defogliatrici, the time and cost for the plants have been greatly reduced (for each hectare, at a speed of about 3 kilometers per hour, it takes about three to four hours), managing to obtain results very close tothe operation manual.

Defogliatrice to the vineyard: the main types of commercially

• roller aspirants: a turbine sucks in the leaves, which are then removed through the action of the two rollers, hydraulic, opposed that rotate in opposite directions. This model may have some ancillary functions such as the regulation of the speed with which we draw closer to the leaves (the combination automatic) or with the possibility of variableintensity of defoliation by following the maps that divide the vineyard based on the growth vigour (a ratio variable).
• Pneumatic: a jet dhigh-pressure air removes, in addition to the leaves, the remains of the flowers, spider webs and other debris that can promote the formation of bacteria and mold on the cluster. It is more delicate than the model roller aspiring and requires less maintenance.

BFM, an Italian company with a long tradition that studies and develops machine agricole, is about to launch aninnovative defogliatrice pulse, a model that, as we have seen in the characteristics listed above, it is more gentle on the cluster, and requires less maintenance compared to the ones roller aspirants.

Conclusions

The defoliation is atask of primary importance for the development and ripening of the grapes: in fact be to remove leaves and other debris to increase the sun exposure of the berries so that they can accumulate more sugars, and polyphenols, improves aeration reducing the possibility that grow mold and bacteria, and makes the clusters that are easily reachable from any medicines or treatments.

In recent years there has been a progressive mechanization of the plants resulting in the development of various agricultural machinery suitable for the purpose: to know them is the first step to choose the defogliatrice most suitable to their own reality. The big news in the house BFM is the new model designed to defogliatrice for the vineyard. The machine was developed to operate in pulse and meet the most important needs of the wine sector. 

please Contact us for more information: the team BFM will answer all of your questions and will advise in the purchase of the farm machine more suitable to your reality.