Pivot Arm Trellis for Cold-Sensitive Vine Burial
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Solution Overview
Problem
The labor-intensive process of protecting cold-sensitive scions from cold temperatures in horticulture, particularly in regions unsuitable for growing cold-sensitive vines, requires a more efficient method to bury and uncover the scions without damaging the vines.
Innovation Solution
A trellis system with a pivot arm and a lowering implement allows the cold-sensitive scion to be buried without removing it from the fruiting wire, using a pivot arm that rotates toward the ground, and a tractor-mounted implement to guide the fruiting wire into a trench, while the rootstock is planted at an acute angle to reduce stress and keep the scion attached.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cold-sensitive scion is removed from the fruiting wire and buried separately, then the scion is protected from cold temperatures, but the process becomes labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the scion and fruiting wire into a single burial unit by using a pivot arm mechanism that rotates both components together into the trench. This eliminates the need to separate the scion from the fruiting wire before burial, thereby reducing labor while maintaining cold protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot arm mechanism allows the fruiting wire to serve dual purposes: supporting the scion during growth and serving as part of the burial structure. The system uses its own components (fruiting wire and pivot arm) to accomplish the burial function without requiring separate removal and handling operations.
2Productivity
If the scion remains attached to the fruiting wire during burial, then the process becomes simpler and less labor-intensive, but the scion may be damaged during the burial process
Solution Approach 1:
The pivot arm provides a dynamic, controlled rotation mechanism that gently lowers the scion and fruiting wire into the trench together. This controlled movement prevents sudden shocks or damage to the scion while maintaining its attachment to the fruiting wire throughout the burial process.
3Ease of operation
If the rootstock is grown at an acute angle relative to the ground, then the scion can remain attached to the fruiting wire during burial, but the trellis structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The trellis system is segmented into distinct functional components: end posts with pivot arms for burial operations, central posts for support, and the fruiting wire. This segmentation allows the acute-angle rootstock configuration to work effectively while keeping each component's design relatively simple and manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure involves advancements in grafting, trellis design, and an implement to raise and lower cold-sensitive vines between a raised growing position and a lowered position where the vine is buried in a trench and covered to protect it from the cold. The implement relieves the operator from the otherwise laborious task of protecting the cold sensitive vines. The apparatus allows the cold-sensitive vine to be buried into a trench without removing the vine from the fruiting wire. The implement directs the fruiting wire with a vine cordon attached thereto into a trench to protect the cordon from cold temperatures. The apparatus causes the vine trunk to bend to accommodate the position of the vine cordon.