Patent Publication Number: US-2019183072-A1

Title: Viticultural cane support system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     This invention relates generally to the field of viticulture, in particular to the design and manufacture of grapevine support systems and to methods for grapevine cane support and crop management, and more particularly, to a cane support pedestal employing a positioning shaft and suspension arm. 
     Description of the Related Art 
     Vineyard management for both wine and table grapes has varied over many generations of farmers. With modern viticulture techniques consistency in crop yields and character particularly in wine grapes is being established. Such consistency is imperative for creation of high quality wines. European and American viticulturalists have developed several predominant infrastructures (“trellises”) with accompanying canopy manipulation techniques for managing wine producing vines. A prior art trellising approach for grape vines, Vertical Shoot Positioning (“VSP”), employs support wires extending between posts and with cordons or fruiting canes (“canes”) extending from the vine&#39;s trunks, supported horizontally by said wires approximately 24 inches above ground. Trunks are pruned to maintain this height. If cordons are established they are maintained yearly in this position. If fruiting canes are established, they are replaced by new canes yearly in this position. A series of upper wires are then used to vertically support the new seasonal shoots (“shoots”) extending from the cordons (or fruiting canes) with leaves forming the canopy of the vine above the cordons. 
     This requires that the yearly growth of shoots, grapes and leaves be supported above the cordons or fruiting canes which are basically in an unstable position relying solely on the support of the trellis wires both vertically and laterally. 
     This technique does not provide optimum conditions for machine harvesting, nor does it provide optimum spring frost protection, nor does it provide optimum human ergonomic conditions for canopy management in the vine&#39;s fruiting zone, nor does it provide conditions for the layering of fruiting canes in a cane pruned system, and requires significant infrastructure in the form of support wires and other devices to support the crop above the cordons or fruiting canes, along with the overall requirement of significant labor in order to place the vines each year up into the trellis, as well the significant labor that is necessary to prune the vines out of the structure at the end of each season. 
     It is therefore desirable to provide a novel infrastructure that supports the vines in a way that reduces the currently employed support structures as well as the costs required to operate them. 
     SUMMARY 
     The embodiments disclosed herein overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a cane support system which includes a positioning shaft supported by wires extending between vine stakes. The positioning shaft extends upwardly above a top wire. A suspension arm is located proximate an upper end of the positioning shaft and extends from the positioning shaft with a bight angularly oriented respective to a vertical axis of the positioning shaft. The suspension arm, in combination with the positioning shaft, provide a cane receptacle, configured to receive and support grape vine canes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a support pedestal; 
         FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of an exemplary section of vineyard trellising employing the described embodiments of the support pedestals; 
         FIG. 3A  is an isometric close up of the cane receptacle of the support pedestal of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3B  is an isometric close up of an alternative embodiment of the support pedestal with two opposing support arms; 
         FIGS. 4A-4C  are top, front and side detailed views of the cane receptacle of the pedestal of  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a second embodiment of the suspension arm relieved from the vertical plane; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a third embodiment of the suspension arm extending beyond the vertical plane; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a fourth embodiment of the suspension arm with a semicircular planform; 
         FIG. 8  is an isometric closeup of a fifth embodiment of the suspension arm with a rectangular planform; 
         FIG. 9  is a pictorial representation of an alternative example of a attachment of the positioning shaft to support wires; 
         FIG. 10  is a pictorial representation of a grape vine trellis employing the embodiments herein; 
         FIG. 11  is a close up pictorial representation of flexible insertion of a cane into the cane receptacle of the support pedestal; and, 
         FIG. 12  is a representation of a vine having a trunk adjacent a stake in the vine trellis with canes extending through the pedestals supported by the cane receptacle. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments shown in the drawings and described herein provide a viticultural method and system for alternative positioning of fruiting canes in individual grape vines at a higher level than normal prior art practice, nominally 48 to 60 inches with the trunk extending to that height. The canes are then laterally positioned outward from the vine&#39;s trunks and held by the pedestals which support the canes horizontally, but allow for rotation, or the significant pronation, of the canes within the supporting cane receptacles. At this higher level, as new shoot growth appears from the canes, instead of being supported above the cane, the canes pronate within the cane receptacles to allow the new growth to hang downward into natural positioning, which allows the weight of the vine&#39;s canopy and fruit to be borne by the pedestal, as opposed to being suspended on support wires. Positioning of the vineyard rows relative to a prevailing breeze additionally allows the force of the wind against the shoots and leaves to enhance the pronation of the canes, thereby delivering shoots and leaves to more natural hanging positions. 
     For descriptive purposes herein, early in a season, new growth is typically referred to as a “shoot”. A “cane” typically describes a mature shoot, one that has undergone a significant amount of lignification and has become pliable and/or woody. Canes produced in any given season are considered to be “first-year canes”. Canes held over into a second year to be employed as the source for the subsequent year&#39;s growth are considered to be “second-year wood, fruiting canes, or fruiting wood”. During winter pruning subsequent to a growing season, the first-year canes desired for the next year&#39;s growth are retained, as will be described subsequently, and the present system may be defined as “layered cane pruning”. The retained canes are laid out horizontally in an overlapping fashion between the vines. At each bud on the canes, a new shoot emerges the next spring. On the new shoots resides the new crop. 
       FIG. 1  shows an exemplary embodiment of a cane support pedestal  10  which incorporates a positioning shaft  12  and a suspension arm  14 . The suspension arm  14  is located proximate an upper end of the positioning shaft  12 , which, together, form a cane receptacle  16  at a top end  15  of the pedestal  10 , as will be described in greater detail subsequently. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2  the infrastructure employing the current embodiments employs vine stakes  20  placed at or near the trunks of the vines with support wires  22  extending laterally. In a first embodiment, cane pedestals  10   a  and  10   b  are supported by the positioning shafts  12   a  and  12   b  suspended from the support wires  22 . In the exemplary embodiment, the suspension arms  14  are arcuate in shape, semicircular for the embodiment shown, to enhance the capturing and retaining of the canes within the cane receptacles  16 . The suspension arms have an effective diameter to sufficiently hold the canes loosely but allow for the pronation of the canes without constraint. Pedestals will typically employ one suspension arm  14  on the position shaft  12 . However, the pedestals may have opposing suspension arms to separately support canes extending from vines on either side. 
     As will be shown in greater detail subsequently, the support wires  22  suspend the positioning shafts  12   a  and  12   b  from below with the positioning shafts extending upwardly from the top wire. No wires are present in the zone of the fruiting canes or in the zone of the crop enhancing the fruiting canes&#39; ability to pronate, thereby releasing most of the vine&#39;s new shoots to easily grow, with gravity, in a downward direction. With less congestion in the fruiting zone, and with the crop in a more shakable position higher off the ground, mechanical harvesting is greatly enhanced, as are the ergonomic conditions of vine canopy management in the fruiting zone, as is the overall symmetry and placement of the crop, which leads to a much higher degree of individuated cluster architecture, which helps to minimize late season bunch rot, which has the overall effect of preserving more crop while producing better wine. 
     To establish vines in the support system as described for the embodiments above, vine trunks are allowed to grow to approximately 48 to 60 inches. Selected fruiting canes are horizontally entrained in the cane receptacles  16  at the top ends  15  of the pedestals  10 , successfully capturing and suspending the canes at their pronatable portions. Use of two opposing suspension arms  14   a ,  14   b  for releasable support of the canes (shown in the  FIG. 3B  to be describe subsequently) allows separate lateral positioning of the opposing canes and employs the enhanced insertion geometry, to be described subsequently, for insertion of canes from both directions. As the fruit bearing shoots emerge from the canes, they gradually begin to be pushed downward by virtue of their increasing mass and by the encouragement of the pronation of the canes within the cane receptacle  16  of cane pedestals  10 . 
     As seen in  FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4A-4C , the structure and geometric arrangement of the positioning shaft  12  and suspension arm  14  are specifically defined to allow insertion of flexible fruiting canes which are then retained within the space (“eye”) of the cane receptacle  16  that is created by the relationship between the positioning shaft  12  and the suspension arm  14 . A base  24  of the suspension arm  14  connects to the positioning shaft  12  substantially perpendicular to a vertical plane defined by a longitudinal axis  26  extending between vine stakes  20 . A tip  28  of the suspension arm  14 , distal on the suspension arm from the base  24 , is angularly offset from a vertical axis  30  of the positioning shaft  12  as best seen in  FIGS. 4A and 4B . The longitudinal axis  26  and vertical axis  30  reside in the vertical plane. The suspension arm incorporates a bight  32  between the base  24  and the tip  28 . As seen in  FIG. 3B , in alternative embodiments, suspension arms  14   a  and  14   b  may extend from each side of the positioning shaft  12  to received canes extending from opposite directions. Suspension arm  14   b  is merely a reverse mirror image of suspension arm  14   a.    
     For stability and support in the support wires  22 , the positioning shaft  12  has a minimum length of 12 inches. However, the shaft may extend from a top end  15  to a lower end  34  (seen in  FIG. 1 ) up to a total length  36  (seen in  FIG. 1 ) of 84 inches. The lower end  34  of the shaft may be inserted into the ground or make ground contact in certain applications. While shown in  FIG. 2  as a two-wire support, alternative embodiments may employ a three-wire support. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the positioning shafts  12  may be circular or rectangular in cross section with a diameter or lateral length of between ⅜″ and ½″. The suspension arms  14  may similarly be circular or rectangular in cross section with a diameter or lateral dimension of between 3/32″ and ½″. While the bight  32  is shown as a semicircular planform connected to extending base  24  and tip  28  in the exemplary embodiments, the bight may be elliptical or rectangular in planform. As seen in  FIG. 4C , the bight  32  provides a receiving diameter  38  (in a plane of the planform) between 1″ and 4″ and a minimum clearance  40  between the shaft  12  and inner surface of the bight  32  of between ¾″ and 4″ for loose support of the inserted canes throughout their growth. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the suspension arm  14  has an angle  42  relative to the axis  30  of the positioning shaft  12  to provide a longitudinal insertion gap  44  of a minimum of ½″ between the positioning shaft  12  and the tip  28  of the suspension arm  14 . The angle  42  provides a bias or lean of the suspension arm  14  toward the nearest adjacent vine stake  20  to receive canes extending from the vine at the stake outward as indicated by arrows  46 . To achieve the minimum insertion gaps of ½″ for the range of bight diameters requires an angle  42  of between 7° and 30°. With maximum bight diameter and angle  42  at 45° an insertion gap of 2 13/16″ is provided. 
     As seen in  FIGS. 4B and 4C , the tip  28  of the suspension arm is at most even with the top end  15  of the positioning shaft  12 . The positioning shaft  12  may extend up to 3″ taller than the tip  28  in certain applications. 
     Additionally, as seen in  FIGS. 4A and 4C , the tip  28  may be substantially aligned with the top end  15  of the shaft  12  along axis  26 . However, in alternative embodiments, the tip  28  may be relieved from the vertical plane of axis  26  by a length  48  as seen in  FIG. 5  or extended beyond the vertical plane of axis  26  by a length  50  as seen in  FIG. 6 . Lengths  48  and  50  may provide a ±1″ tolerance of the tip  28  with respect to the vertical plane of axis  26 . 
     The embodiments shown in  FIGS. 4A-4C, 5 and 6  have linear extensions of varying length from bight  32  to the base  24  and tip  28 . As previously described, the entire suspension arm  14 ′ may be semicircular as seen in  FIG. 7  or may be a suspension arm  14 ″ of rectangular planform as seen in  FIG. 8 . Alternative geometric shapes may be employed for the planform such as ellipsis or polygons but the added complexity of such shapes has not been shown to be of benefit. 
     The suspension of the pedestals is provided by single wire supports  22 ′ as shown in  FIG. 9  with the support shafts engaged by wire clips  52 . 
     A multisection view of a trellis employing the exemplary embodiments is shown in  FIG. 10 . Vine stakes  20  are provided proximate the vine trunks to engage the support wires  22 . Cane pedestals  10   a , and  10   b  proximate the stakes provide a single suspension arm  14  inclined toward the stake as previously described. One or more cane pedestals  10   c , as shown in  FIG. 3B , may be employed with opposing suspension arms  14   a  and  14   b  each inclined toward proximate stakes or vines to separately receive extended growth of the canes. 
     As represented in  FIG. 11 , the flexible canes are flexed as shown by phantom line  60  to be received through the longitudinal insertion gaps  44  into the cane receptacle  16 . When released, the canes straighten as represented by phantom line  62  and are loosely supported within the cane receptacle  16 . Without forcible flexing of the canes, they cannot extract themselves or fall out of the cane receptacle  16 , being constrained both vertically and laterally. As previously described the loose support provided by the cane receptacle  16  allows natural pronation of the canes within supporting cane receptacle  16  during subsequent growth.  FIG. 12  provides a representation of a mature, dormant, pruned grape vine having a trunk  72  adjacent a stake  20  with canes  74  extending through the cane receptacles  16   a ,  16   b  and  16   c.    
     Having now described various embodiments of the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims.