6/11/2015

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Harvesting

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Advantages of hand harvest

• Accurate maturity and grade selection.

• Less damage to product.

• Allows multiple harvest.

• Easy to increase harvest rate - just hire more pickers.

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Maturity selection

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Less product damage?

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Strawberry picker damage

Picker

Berry Damage Score

None

50% of surface

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Machine harvest advantages

• Less costly, but high capital costs

• 24 hr harvest possible

• Less labor management problems

• Higher wages for workers

• Stabilizes work force size

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Machine Harvested Fresh Market Crops

• Underground vegetables:– Potatoes, sweet potato, garlic, bulb onions,

carrots, turnip, rutabaga, beets, etc.

• Vegetables:– Fresh cut spinach, lettuces, etc.

– Some cabbage, sweet corn, green beans

• Tree nuts and peanuts

• Cranberries7

Machine Harvesters for Processed Fruits & Vegetables• Tree crops

– Sour cherries, prunes

– Some peaches, olives, juice oranges

• Vine & bush crops– Blueberries, raspberries, raisin & wine

grapes, cranberries

• Vegetable crops– Peas, beans, corn, pickling cucumbers,

tomatoes, peppers, celery, sweet corn, cabbage

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Field vs. Shed packing

Pick Pack Transport Cool/store

Pick PackTransport Cool/storeCool/store

Field Pack

Shed Pack

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Strawberry - field pack

Night Harvest Strawberries

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GK Machine & Musco Lighting

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Tomato - shed pack

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Celery - field pack

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Lettuce - materials handling

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Romaine Lettuce Baby Leaf Harvester

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Band saw

Romaine Hearts

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Carrot Harvester

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Sweet Potatoes

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Sweet Potatoes

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Onions - field curing

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Onions - field packing

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Tree Fruit

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Harvest aid - ca 1900

Worker position

Detachment

Fruit handling

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Pears

1960worker

positioner& fruit

handlingsystem

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Pears

2005worker

positioner& fruit

handling

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Citrus - worker positioner

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Shake-catch harvest

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Catch frame

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ShakerBlight

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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USDA Apple Harvester

• High density trellised orchard

• Use abscission chemical before harvest32

Vine & Small Tree Harvesters

Olives

Grapes

Tree Nuts

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Canopy Management

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1980’s Robotic harvest Vision Robotics2010s

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Scout

Picker

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Agrobot 2014

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Field vs. Shed packing

Pick Pack Transport Cool/store

Pick PackTransport Cool/storeCool/store

Field Pack

Shed Pack

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Transport to Packing Shed

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Hand Packing

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Hand pack

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Hand Pack Station

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis

6/11/2015

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Machine Grading and Packing

Thompson, Jim "Harvest Systems" Postharvest Technology of Horticultural Crops Short Course 2015 (c) Postharvest Technology Center, UC Davis