Field Evaluation of Targeted Shake-and-Catch Harvesting Technologies for Fresh Market Apple

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1759-1771
Author(s):  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Long He ◽  
Manoj Karkee ◽  
Matthew David Whiting ◽  
Qin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Washington State ◽  
Automated System ◽  
List Type ◽  
Agricultural Crop ◽  
Continuous Linear ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Harvesting Systems

HighlightsThree shaking methods and vibratory harvesting systems were evaluated and compared.Multi-year field evaluations were performed with up to six cultivars trained to formal architectures.The updated semi-automated system achieved the highest fruit removal efficiency and the best fruit quality.Abstract. Apple is the most economically important agricultural crop in Washington State. In 2018, Washington State produced ~3.3 billion kg of apple, accounting for approximately 63% of U.S. production. Fresh-market apple is currently harvested manually, requiring large numbers seasonal semi-skilled workers for a small harvest window. To overcome the increasing challenges of uncertain labor availability and raising labor costs, a promising mechanical harvesting system, using a targeted shake-and-catch approach, is under development at Washington State University. This study evaluated the system by analyzing its fruit harvest efficiency and fruit quality with three shaking methods, i.e., continuous non-linear, continuous linear, and intermittent linear shaking, on up to six apple cultivars trained to formal tree architectures. Results showed that intermittent linear shaking achieved 90% fruit removal efficiency for ‘Scifresh’ cultivar, while continuous linear shaking achieved only 63% removal efficiency for ‘Gala’. This study also compared three vibratory systems: a hand-held system, a hydraulically driven system, and a semi-automated hydraulic system. The semi-automated system achieved the highest fruit removal efficiency (90%), followed by the hand-held (87%) and hydraulic (84%) systems, mainly due to the different shaking methods employed. However, the differences were statistically insignificant. Fruit catching efficiency varied among the harvesting systems, with the hand-held system achieving the highest efficiency (97%), followed by the hydraulic (91%) and semi-automated (88%) systems. Among the three tested technologies, the prototype semi-automated system achieved the highest level of mechanization, as well as high fruit removal efficiency and the best fruit quality. Because the semi-automated system did not include an auto-positioning function, positioning its shaker head took about eight times longer (~103 s) than the actual shaking time (~13 s), which suggests that a fully automated system is desirable to further increase productivity. This study showed that the shake-and-catch approach has great potential for practical adoption in harvesting of fresh-market apple and therefore can have a positive economic impact on the U.S. apple industry. Keywords: Automation in apple production, Bulk mechanical harvest, Semi-automated system, Shaking method, Time efficiency.

A Precision Pruning Strategy for Improving Efficiency of Vibratory Mechanical Harvesting of Apples

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1565-1576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Long He ◽  
Yaqoob Majeed ◽  
Matthew David Whiting ◽  
Manoj Karkee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Vibratory System ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Labor Requirements ◽  
Lateral Branches ◽  
Canopy Management

Abstract. The state of Washington is the biggest fresh market apple ( Borkh.) producer in the U.S., and the state’s annual apple production has exceeded 60% of the national production. Due to the extensive labor requirements for harvesting fresh market apples, there is burgeoning demand for mechanical harvest solutions. Our transdisciplinary studies on mechanical harvest systems for apples have shown that fruit removal efficiency (FRE) with a vibratory system can be improved with precision canopy management. In this study, we evaluated the effect of precision pruning strategies on FRE in two groups (106 and 107, respectively) of randomly selected horizontal branches of ‘Jazz/M.9’ apple trees in a commercial orchard. Fruiting lateral branches were pruned to either shorter than 15 cm (guideline 1, G1) or 23 cm (guideline 2, G2). Harvest tests were conducted using a shake-and-catch harvester prototype developed by Washington State University with a fixed vibrating frequency of 20 Hz and shaking duration of 5 s. FRE for branches treated with G1 was significantly higher (91%) than FRE for branches treated with G2 (81%). We recorded a negative relationship between FRE and lateral shoot length. FRE was up to 98% when shoots were shorter than 5 cm, and FRE was only 56% for shoots of 25 cm or longer. We developed a shoot diameter-to-length index (S-index) to better understand the effect of shoot size on FRE. FRE was as high as 98% when the S-index was greater than 0.15. In addition, mechanically harvested fruit quality was assessed by categorizing the fruit into Extra Fancy, Fancy, and Downgrade fresh market classes based on USDA standards; however, no significant difference was found between the two treated groups. These results suggest that pruning lateral fruiting branches to less than 15 cm or to an S-index greater than 0.03 is required to achieve FRE of 85% with no negative impacts on fruit quality. Keywords: Canopy management, Fresh market fruit, Fruit removal efficiency, Mechanical harvest, Shoot pruning severity.

Evaluation of Shake-and-Catch Methods on Harvesting of Tall Spindle Apples

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 857-863
Author(s):  
Haiqian Xing ◽  
Shaochun Ma ◽  
Ming Liu ◽  
Menglong Wang ◽  
Yi Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Removal Rate ◽  
Test System ◽  
List Type ◽  
Labor Costs ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
Fruit Damage

HighlightsBoth frequency and amplitude were influencing factors in analyzing the fruit removal efficiency and fruit damage.This research focused on tall spindle ‘Fuji’ apple trees, which enriched the study of the variety and architecture resources of apple trees.The advice for shake-and-catch harvesting was based on the analysis of amplitude and frequency from the perspective of energy consumption.Abstract. Almost all fresh-market apples are picked manually, and these apples rank among the most labor-intensive fruit crops to produce. Due to declining labor supply and rising labor costs, fresh-market apple growers are seeking mechanical harvesting solutions. Shake-and-catch is a potential method that has been well studied. However, because of fruit damage, this method cannot be widely used for fresh-market apples. The primary goal of this study was to investigate how the physical properties of the fruit tree and the shaker parameters affect fruit removal efficiency and fruit damage in an effort to help growers find solutions to the above-mentioned issues. A test system was developed, and its performance was evaluated in certain shaking modes. Based on the experimental results, the physical properties of the tree (length and diameter of limb, length and diameter of twig, and apple weight) and the frequency and amplitude of the shaker influenced the effectiveness of fruit detachment. When the amplitude of the shaker was 14.3 mm and the frequency was less than 15 Hz, the length of the twig had the greatest effect on fruit harvesting. However, with increasing frequency and amplitude, the effect of tree properties on fruit harvesting declined, and amplitude had a more significant effect on fruit harvesting than frequency. Moreover, the fruit removal rate reached 91.43% when the amplitude was 14.3 mm and the frequency was 20 Hz. The results of this study contribute to the development of an effective mechanical harvester that is adapted to tall spindle apple trees. Keywords: Amplitude, Apple fresh market, Frequency, Physical properties, Shake-and-catch, Tall spindle.

Effect of Shaking Location and Duration on Mechanical Harvesting of Fresh Market Apples

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long He ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Yunxiang Ye ◽  
Manoj Karkee ◽  
Qin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Horizontal Plate ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
System A ◽  
Fruit Damage ◽  
Removal Efficiencies

Abstract. With adopting the modern high-density tree architectures, localized shake-and-catch harvesting is becoming more promising for fresh market apples. To investigate the shaking inputs for an effective harvesting system, a multi-tier shake-and-catch harvesting platform was developed and evaluated in a commercial orchard. The platform composes of a shaker and two three-tier catching surfaces. Performance test was conducted in ‘Jazz’ apple trees trained to a vertical fruiting wall architecture (two horizontal branches at each tier). Two harvesting sections were defined in the test trees, namely, Section I - two neighboring branches at the same tier from two adjacent trees; and Section II - two branches at the same tier of a tree. For Section I, shaking was applied to the middle of each branch (location P1), and for Section II, shaking was applied at the location close to the trunk (location P2). Shaking frequency was set to 20 Hz, and two shaking durations (i.e., 5 and 2 s) were used. In the test, the catching angle relative to the horizontal plate was set to 15°. The results indicated that the fruit removal efficiencies (2nd to 4th tiers of trees were used in the analysis) were 76.6% and 78.1% for shaking at middle of each branch in 2 and 5 s shaking, respectively; those numbers were 86.3% and 89.5% for shaking at location P2. The percentage of marketable fruits were 89.7% and 90.6% for the Section I shaking in two durations, and 84.5% and 84.4% in the Section II shaking. Overall, this study revealed that 2 s shaking duration is sufficient to remove majority of fruits in the tested variety, and the section II shaking had higher overall fruit removal efficiency but also caused slightly more fruit damage. Keywords: Fresh market apples, Fruit quality, Fruit removal efficiency, Mechanical harvesting, Multi-tier shake-and-catch.

scholarly journals Comparison of a Lightweight Experimental Shaker and an Orchard Tractor Mounted Trunk Shaker for Fresh Market Citrus Harvesting

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1092
Author(s):  
Coral Ortiz ◽  
Antonio Torregrosa ◽  
Sergio Castro-García
Keyword(s):  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Experimental Device ◽  
High Speed Camera ◽  
Time Increase ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Vibration Time ◽  
Vibration Parameters ◽  
Citrus Harvesting

A designed lightweight experimental shaker successfully used to collect ornamental oranges has been tested to harvest fresh market citrus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal efficiency and operational times of this experimental device compared to an orchard trunk shaker. Three different collecting systems were studied. ‘Caracara’ citrus trees were tested. Removal efficiency, vibration parameters, fruit and tree damages, and fruit quality were measured. A high-speed camera was used to record operational times and determine cumulative removal percentage over vibration time. The canvases on the ground reduced the severe fruit damages but were not useful to protect against light damages. The experimental shaker produced a higher percentage of slightly damaged oranges. No significant differences in removal efficiency were found between the two harvesting systems. However, removal efficiency using the experimental device could be reduced by 40 percent and working time increase by more than 50 percent when access to the main branches was difficult. In agreement with previous results, the curve representing the branch cumulative removal percentage in time followed a sigmoidal pattern. A model was built showing that during the first 5 s more than 50 percent of the fruits were detached.

scholarly journals Modified Over-the-Row Machine Harvesters to Improve Northern Highbush Blueberry Fresh Fruit Quality

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Wasko DeVetter ◽  
Wei Qiang Yang ◽  
Fumiomi Takeda ◽  
Scott Korthuis ◽  
Changying Li
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Cold Storage ◽  
Fresh Fruit ◽  
Market Quality ◽  
Highbush Blueberry ◽  
Fruit Firmness ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Northern Highbush Blueberry ◽  
Rotary Drum

Improved blueberry mechanical harvesting (MH) equipment that maintains fresh market quality are needed due to rising costs and decreasing availability of laborers for harvesting by hand. In 2017, a modified over-the-row (OTR) blueberry harvester with experimental catch surfaces and plates designed to reduce fruit bruising was evaluated. The catch surfaces were made of neoprene (soft catch surface; SCS) or canvas (hard catch surface; HCS) and compared to hand-picked fruit (control). Early- and early/mid-season ‘Duke’ and ‘Draper’, respectively, were evaluated in Oregon, while late-season ‘Elliott’ and ‘Aurora’ were evaluated in Washington. Harvested berries were run through commercial packing lines with fresh pack out recorded and bruise incidence or fresh fruit quality evaluated during various lengths of cold storage. The fresh pack out for ‘Duke’ and ‘Draper’ were 83.5% and 73.2%, respectively, and no difference was noted between SCS and HCS. ‘Duke’ fruit firmness was highest among MH berries with SCS, but firmness decreased in storage after one week. Firmness was highest among hand harvested ‘Draper’ followed by MH with SCS. For ‘Elliott’ and ‘Aurora’, fruit firmness was the same across harvesting methods. ‘Draper’ exhibited more bruising than ‘Duke’, but bruise ratings and the incidence of bruising at ≤10% and ≤20% were similar between hand and MH ‘Draper’ with SCS after 24 h of harvest. ‘Aurora’ berries had similar bruise ratings after 24 h between hand harvesting and MH with SCS, while ‘Elliott’ showed more bruise damage by MH with both SCS and HCS than hand harvested fruit. Although our studies showed slightly lower fresh market blueberry pack outs, loss of firmness, and increased bruise damage in fruit harvested by the experimental MH system compared to hand harvested fruit, higher quality was achieved using SCS compared to HCS. We demonstrated that improved fresh market quality in northern highbush blueberry is achievable by using modified OTR harvesters with SCS and fruit removal by either hand-held pneumatic shakers or rotary drum shakers.

scholarly journals Assessment of the V45 Blueberry Harvester on Rabbiteye Blueberry and Southern Highbush Blueberry Pruned to V-Shaped Canopy

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiomi Takeda ◽  
Gerard Krewer ◽  
Elvin L. Andrews ◽  
Benjamin Mullinix ◽  
Donald L. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Highbush Blueberry ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Harvesting Systems ◽  
Harvest Efficiency ◽  
Fruit Damage ◽  
Highbush Blueberries ◽  
Southern Highbush

Mechanical harvesting systems for processed blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) are available. However, low harvest efficiency and high fruit damage have limited the use of mechanical harvesters for picking blueberries for fresh market to specific cultivars under good weather conditions. New harvesting technology for fresh-market blueberries is needed. The V45 harvester was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1994 to harvest fresh-market-quality northern highbush (V. corymbosum) blueberries in Michigan. The current study was performed in Georgia to evaluate the V45 harvester on specially pruned rabbiteye blueberry [V. virgatum (syn. V. ashei)] and southern highbush blueberry (V. darrowi × V. corymbosum) and included analysis of harvest efficiency and fruit quality (percent blue fruit, percent bloom, percent split skin, and internal bruise damage). Six-year-old, 6- to 8-ft-tall ‘Brightwell’ and ‘Powderblue’ rabbiteye blueberry plants were winter pruned to remove vertically growing and overarching canes in the center of the bush in Jan. 2004 and Feb. 2005 respectively. Three-year-old, 3- to 5-ft-tall ‘FL 86-19’ and ‘Star’ southern highbush blueberry plants were similarly pruned in summer (June 2004) or in winter (Feb. 2005). Pruning removed an estimated 30% to 50% of the canopy and opened the middle, resulting in V-shaped plants in both rabbiteye and southern highbush blueberries. Yield of winter-pruned ‘Brightwell’ rabbiteye blueberry was lower compared with unpruned plants during both years, but winter-pruned ‘Powderblue’ rabbiteye blueberry plants produced as much as unpruned plants in 2005. In ‘FL 86-19’ southern highbush blueberry, plants that were summer pruned in June 2004 produced as much as unpruned plants in 2005, but plants that were winter pruned in Feb. 2005 had lower yields than unpruned plants in 2005. The V45 harvester caused little cane damage on pruned blueberry plants. In rabbiteye blueberries, internal fruit damage and skin splitting was less in V45-harvested fruit than in fruit harvested by a sway harvester and nearly that of hand-harvested fruit. However, in ‘FL 86-19’ southern highbush blueberry, the V45 harvester detached a lower percentage of blue fruit and excessive amounts of immature and stemmed fruit. These findings suggest that the V45 harvester has the potential to harvest some rabbiteye blueberry cultivars mechanically with fruit quality approaching that of hand-harvested fruit.

scholarly journals Optimizing anaerobic soil disinfestation for fresh market tomato production: Nematode and weed control, yield, and fruit quality

2017 ◽  
Vol 218 ◽  
pp. 105-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haichao Guo ◽  
Francesco Di Gioia ◽  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Monica Ozores-Hampton ◽  
Marilyn E. Swisher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Control ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Soil Disinfestation ◽  
Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation

scholarly journals Leaf shape is a predictor of fruit quality and cultivar performance in tomato

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Rowland ◽  
Kristina Zumstein ◽  
Hokuto Nakayama ◽  
Zizhang Cheng ◽  
Amber M. Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Leaf Morphology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
List Type ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Tomato Crop

SummaryCommercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is one of the most widely grown vegetable crops worldwide. Heirloom tomatoes retain extensive genetic diversity and a considerable range of fruit quality and leaf morphological traits.Here the role of leaf morphology was investigated for its impact on fruit quality. Heirloom cultivars were grown in field conditions and BRIX by Yield (BY) and other traits measured over a fourteen-week period. The complex relationships among these morphological and physiological traits were evaluated using PLS-Path Modeling, and a consensus model developed.Photosynthesis contributed strongly to vegetative biomass and sugar content of fruits but had a negative impact on yield. Conversely leaf shape, specifically rounder leaves, had a strong positive impact on both fruit sugar content and yield. Cultivars such as Stupice and Glacier, with very round leaves, had the highest performance in both fruit sugar and yield. Our model accurately predicted BY for two commercial cultivars using leaf shape data as input.This study revealed the importance of leaf shape to fruit quality in tomato, with rounder leaves having significantly improved fruit quality. This correlation was maintained across a range of diverse genetic backgrounds and shows the importance of leaf morphology in tomato crop improvement.

scholarly journals Effects of aminoethoxyvinylglycine treatments on pre-harvest fruit drop and fruit quality of Braeburn apples

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-307
Author(s):  
Burhan Ozturk ◽  
Kenan Yildiz ◽  
Yakup Ozkan ◽  
Kemal Kilic
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Starch Degradation ◽  
Naphthaleneacetic Acid ◽  
Fruit Peel ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Peel Color ◽  
Second Year

This study was conducted to determine the effects of increasing aminoethoxyvinylglycine (AVG) concentrations on pre-harvest drop and fruit quality parameters of ‘Braeburn’ apples. Results revealed that AVG treatments increased the fruit removal force and significantly decreased pre-harvest drops compared to control treatment. AVG was found to be more effective in controlling pre-harvest drops than naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). There were significant differences among AVG doses with regard to preharvest drop rates. The lowest ratio of pre-harvest drop was observed in 400 mg/l AVG treatment. All AVG doses decreased ethylene biosynthesis. Inhibition of ethylene biosynthesis was higher in 300 and 400 mg/l AVG treatments than the other AVG treatment. AVG retarded fruit ripening of ‘Braeburn’ apples. Measurements, performed at different dates of ripening process, revealed higher flesh firmness values for AVG-treated fruits than the control. Starch degradation was delayed by AVG treatments. Effects of AVG on fruit peel color varied with years. While significant effects of AVG treatments on peel color were not observed in the first year, especially higher AVG doses significantly increased L* values and hue angles in the second year. AVG treatments also significantly increased fruit mass in both years. Significant changes in fruit geometric diameters were not observed with AVG treatments, except for 300 mg/l AVG treatment of second year.

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