Innovative Mechanical Pruning for Sustainable Precision Olive Orchard Management: Machine Performance, Canopy Management, and Soil Sustainability

Sustainable olive production increasingly depends on innovative mechanical pruning systems that improve field efficiency while preserving canopy architecture and supporting long-term orchard and soil sustainability. This study evaluated the field performance of three mechanical pruning operations—under-canopy skirting, topping, and lateral hedging—conducted using the specific pruning machine assigned for each operation at four forward speeds (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 km h−1) in intensive Arbequina and Arbosana olive orchards under Al-Jouf conditions, Saudi Arabia. Engineering performance was assessed through machine productivity, effective working time, pruning quality, and energy consumption, together with operational cost and vegetative response indicators, including severe cut ratio, cut surface quality, and canopy structural uniformity. These indicators were integrated into a novel Integrated Sustainable Pruning Performance Index (ISPPI) to provide a comprehensive evaluation of pruning machines’ performance. Forward speed significantly affected all evaluated variables. Increasing forward speed improved machine productivity while reducing energy consumption and operational cost; however, further increases in forward speed slightly reduced pruning quality and canopy uniformity. Machinery in Arbequina plots required less energy and incurred lower operational costs than machinery in Arbosana plots under the evaluated pruning conditions, while Arbequina showed greater canopy integrity indicators than Arbosana. A forward speed of 2.0 km h−1 provided the best overall balance between engineering performance, pruning quality, economic efficiency, vegetative response, and sustainable field operation. The principal contribution of this study was the development of the Integrated Sustainable Pruning Performance Index (ISPPI), which provides a practical engineering decision-support tool by integrating engineering, economic, and vegetative performance into a single dimensionless indicator. The ISPPI was developed using an equal-weighting approach for the three performance components to ensure balanced representation and transparency and avoid subjective bias in the evaluation process. The ISPPI enables orchard managers to objectively compare pruning strategies, identify optimal operating conditions, and support sustainable decision-making for mechanized precision olive orchard management.