SSR

Project "SSR" data sheet

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 Partnership

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Map

 Project objective

Removal of green shoots is a key step in vineyards and fruit trees, to control growth and improve production and quality of fruits. Shoots that grow on sides of the stems cause the plant to produce smaller fruits that may not ripen properly. By removing green shoots, plant produces better quality fruits (colour, size, ripening and weight) as sap concentrates flow in the growing areas. Current options to remove shoots are: (a) by hand: which force the worker to operate in a position that leads to injuries; (b) use of scissors: posing a high risk of spreading diseases/pests through sap with important drawbacks; (c) with a battery/fuel powered mechanical equipment: that implies high costs in terms of fuel consumption and equipment and can damage young stems; and (d) by chemicals application: that releases toxic products through herbicides. SSR (Smart Shoot Remover) is an innovative tool to quickly and completely remove green shoots from stems/trunks. It consists of two opposed interchangeable brushes, clamped around the stem/trunk and held via a guide system, which opens out the brushes in an adjustable angle, and a non-sharp blade, attached to one of the brushes guides, to remove the shoots by stripping, without damaging the plant. SSR allows to work 40% faster than manual techniques, saving 2.2 hours of workday vs. manual technique. It cost 98% less than mechanical equipment, requires only 1 operator against 2 of the mechanical/chemical removal and does not use fuel nor motorised equipment, reducing operational costs in >60€/h, and emissions. It reduces risk of spread of trunk diseases (ie. Esca complex), and improves of worker’s safety and ergonomics by preventing back injuries, falls/trips and cuts. We distributed 4.000 prototypes in 106 countries of the first version of SSR and received expressions of interest from >150 distributors. In 5 years from market launch, we foresee an increase in workforce of 30 employees and an accumumulatedaccumulated profit of 15,2M.