ISHS Acta Horticulturae 717: XIII International Symposium on Apricot Breeding and Culture
MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF APRICOTS (´BÚLIDA´) IN SPAIN |
| Authors: | B. Martin, A. Torregrosa, C. Ortiz, J.J. Bernad, R. Aragon |
| Keywords: | mechanical harvest, trunk shaker, branch shaker, continuous harvester, field capacity |
| Abstract:
Hand harvesting of apricots is the most time-consuming task in apricot cultivation under Spanish conditions, accounting for more than 60% of the total labour time. As a way to reduce the cost of this operation, four mechanical harvesting systems have been tested: a hand-carried canvas structure, to catch the fruits, and a hand-held petrol vibrator; a tractor lift-mounted trunk shaker with an inverted umbrella; a tractor-trailed trunk shaker with an inverted umbrella; and a continuous-travel, shake-and-catch harvesting machine. All the systems improved the harvesting operation, from 56 kg/h-worker of hand harvesting to 360 kg/h-worker of the hand-held shaker, to 6000 kg/h-worker of the continuous harvester. With respect to damage, the canvas and manual shaker systems produce less damage than manual harvesting; all the other mechanical systems damage the fruits more than manual harvesting, but the quality of the fruits is good enough for processing. | |
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