Abstract: An AC-operated portable machine was developed to mechanize the pruning operation conducted on the petioles of palm trees. The performance of the machine was tested in the laboratory on petioles at different petiole Moisture Contents (MC). Power, energy and time required for cutting were the three criteria considered to evaluate and test the machine`s performance. Results of the test revealed that the relationships between petiole MC and power, energy and time required for cutting were all significant, where the values of the determination factors (R2) were 0.86, 0.71 and 0.81, respectively. The results also showed that both energy and time required for cutting were proportional to the petiole MC. The average time and energy required at a petiole MC range of 60 to 75% were 3 sec cm-2 and 32 W sec cm-2, respectively. However, the values of the two variables were 0.9 sec cm-2 and 12 W sec cm-2, respectively, at lower petiole MC range (7 to 20%). Results also demonstrated that the power required for cutting was inversely proportional to the petiole MC. An average power values of 12 and 30 W cm-2 were required at high levels of petiole MC (60 to 75%) and low levels of petiole MC (7 to 20%), respectively.