ISHS Acta Horticulturae 112: Symposium on Breeding and Machine Harvesting of Rubus
ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF MECHANISED RASPBERRY PRODUCTION UNDER THE LINCOLN CANOPY SYSTEM |
| Author: | G.F. Thiele |
| Abstract:
The canopy system of raspberry production developed at Lincoln, New Zealand, clearly allows mechanical harvesting of a high quality sample, suitable for dessert use or processed in an independently quick frozen form. The machine developed by the New Zealand Agricultural Engineering Institute has a present production cost of approximately $40 000. The harvesting rate varies markedly and depends on variety yield and quality of sample required. With 4 persons (including the driver) operating the machine and an average crop the picking rate will be 60–80 kg/person/hour. Picking rates of 120 kg/person/hour have been recorded for jam fruit. Dimensions involved with the system are:- distance between row centres 5.2 m: width of canopy 1½ metres either side of the row centre: height of canopy 865 m.m. The critical factors affecting the economics of the system are discussed. Comparisons are made using the nett present value concept with parameters varied for yield, price and area harvested by the machine. Unless the harvesting season can be extended by producing suitable varieties maturing later than Fairview the maximum area handled efficiently by one machine will not exceed 5–6 ha depending on the number of suitable harvesting days in the week and the length of the harvesting day. Based on a yield of 7.5 t/ha by the 5th year from planting the Net Present Value at 10% interest/annum is about $4,600/ha for and 11 year period including capital costs for the machine at $40,000 and for the trellis at $4,000/ha. This calculation uses a gross selling price of $1,100/t. Profitable use of the machine could demand a higher selling price based on the high quality of the product as a dessert of IQF fruit. The system has advantages in facilitating mechanical pruning, lower labour costs, good flavoured fruit, and effective spraying. Capital costs for the machine and fences as well as yield potential, are the critical factors. The value of alternative systems such as upright production for straddle harvesting and alternating cropping are discussed but not supported with comparative research. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
