ISHS Acta Horticulturae 736: III International Date Palm Conference
DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A SHAKER-SYSTEM FOR THE SELECTIVE HARVEST OF DATE FRUIT |
| Authors: | A.A. Ibrahim, H.R. Ibrahim, N. Abdul-Rasool |
| Abstract:
A shaker-system for the selective removal of mature dates from the bunch has been designed and manufactured. This tractor-mounted system is powered by the tractor’s power take off shaft. The shaker produces a vertical stroke of 50mm. It has been successfully subjected to field tests, in which several date bunches were shaken at frequencies of 300, 450 and 600 cycle/min. The experimental results indicated that a shaking frequency of 450 cycle/min. provided the best results in terms of selective mature date fruit drop and the time required for this to occur (3.5-5 sec.). A lower frequency prolonged the time for fruit removal, while a higher frequency resulted in the removal of immature dates as well. The use of this shaker-system significantly reduced both the time required for date removal from the bunch and fruit damage, in comparison with the conventional hand removal of dates from the bunch. | |
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