FRESH MARKET QUALITY BLUEBERRY HARVESTER

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. L. Peterson ◽  
S. D. Wolford ◽  
E. J. Timm ◽  
F. Takeda
Keyword(s):  
Market Quality ◽  
Fresh Market

Advances in mechanical harvesting of fresh market quality apples

1989 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald L. Peterson ◽  
Stephen S. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Market Quality ◽  
Fresh Market

scholarly journals Harvesting Semidwarf Freestanding Apple Trees with an Over-the-row Mechanical Harvester

1994 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 1114-1120 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.L. Peterson ◽  
S.S. Miller ◽  
J.D. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Malus Domestica ◽  
Market Quality ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Cumulative Yield ◽  
Apple Trees ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
Golden Delicious ◽  
Harvesting Efficiency ◽  
Mechanical Harvester

Three years of mechanical harvesting (shake and catch) trials with two freestanding apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) cultivars on a semidwarf rootstock (M.7a) and two training systems (central leader and open center) yielded 64% to 77% overall harvesting efficiency. Mechanically harvested `Bisbee Delicious' apples averaged 70% Extra Fancy and 10% Fancy grade, while two `Golden Delicious' strains (`Smoothee' and `Frazier Goldspur') averaged 40% Extra Fancy and 13% Fancy grade fruit. Mechanically harvesting fresh-market-quality apples from semidwarf freestanding trees was difficult and its potential limited. Cumulative yield of open-center trees was less than that of central-leader trees during the 3 years (sixth through eighth leaf) of our study. `Golden Delicious' trees generally produced higher yields than `Delicious' trees.

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 Harvest Mechanization Progress and Prospects for Fresh Market Quality Deciduous Tree Fruits

2005 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.L. Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Prunus Persica ◽  
Prunus Avium ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Mechanical Damage ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Market Quality ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Tree Fruit ◽  
Energy Absorbing

Deciduous tree fruit crops such as apple (Malus domestica), peach (Prunus persica), and sweet cherry (Prunus avium) are not mechanically harvested for the fresh market. Attempts to mechanically harvest these fruits by mass removal techniques have not been successful due to excessive fruit damage caused during detachment, fall through the canopy, and collection. Robotic harvesters have not been commercially accepted due to insufficient fruit recovery. A U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) harvesting concept shows promise for harvesting both fresh market quality apples and sweet cherries. Successful mechanical harvesting of fresh market quality deciduous tree fruit will only occur when plant characteristics and machine designs are integrated into a compatible system. Cultivar characteristics that would facilitate machine harvesting are uniform fruit maturity at harvest, firm fruit that are resistant to mechanical damage, and compact growth habit that produces fruit in narrow canopies and on short/stiff limbs. Engineers must develop new detachment principles that minimize the energy input to effect fruit detachment, and develop durable energy-absorbing catching surfaces/conveyors to eliminate damage during collection of the fruit. As technology advances, sorting and sizing systems might be developed that can be operating on the harvester to eliminate culls in the field and deliver only fresh market quality fruit to the packers.

AC Ptarmigan: An early maturing potato cultivar with good chipping and fresh market quality

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 387-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. R. Lynch ◽  
C. Schaupmeyer ◽  
L. M. Kawchuk ◽  
T. R. Tarn ◽  
B. Rex ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potato Cultivar ◽  
Market Quality ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Early Maturing
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