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

DeVetter, Lisa W.; Yang, Wei Qiang; Takeda, Fumiomi; Korthuis, Scott; Li, Changying

doi:10.3390/agriculture9010013

Cited by 24 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, these SHB cultivars were firmer than NHB cultivars 'Legacy' and 'Liberty' (178 and 152 g/mm, respectively) [11]. In another study that harvested NHB cultivars with handheld shakers, 'Elliott' and 'Aurora' were also softer (155 and 172 g/mm, respectively) than the SHB cultivars in this study [16]. In these reports, there were minimal differences in bruising due to catch surface type.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-The-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Handheld Shakers and Soft Catch Surfaces

et al. 2019

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Fresh market southern highbush blueberries are typically hand-harvested which requires an extensive labor force over a relative short period of time. With rising production costs and labor availability issues, interest in mechanical harvesting options is increasing. In 2017, an over-the-row (OTR) harvester was modified to reduce purchase cost while making hand labor more efficient. The picking heads were removed and dual worker stations were added on each side of the unit. Handheld olive shakers were suspended at each station. Experimental catch plates were installed on one side of the OTR harvester and soft, inclined surfaces over the rigid conveyors on both sides. 'Meadowlark' and 'Farthing' blueberries were harvested with this system and compared to those manually harvested by a commercial harvest crew. Samples from each harvest method were then commercially cooled and mechanically harvested fruit were commercially packed to determine packout data. Fruit firmness, bruise severity and composition were determined after one day at room temperature (22 • C) and after seven and fourteen days of storage at 1 • C. Average packout was very high for mechanically harvested fruit, 87% for 'Meadowlark' and 91% for 'Farthing'. Initial firmness of both cultivars was lower for mechanically harvested fruit (208 g/mm) than hand-harvested fruit (243 g/mm). Fruit from the three treatments softened during storage, and although 'Meadowlark' remained firmer than 'Farthing' during storage, there were no differences due to catch surfaces. Hand-harvested fruit had no severe bruising (>20% of cut surface area) at harvest, increasing to 2% after seven days, while mechanically harvested fruit from both fruit collection surfaces had 3% initial severe bruising that increased to 22% during storage. 'Farthing' had slightly higher soluble solids content and significantly higher total titratable acidity compared to 'Meadowlark'. Additional modifications must be made to the next-generation OTR harvester to further reduce blueberry harvest and handling impacts.Agriculture 2020, 10, 4 2 of 15 shipments of blueberries from Mexico into the United States during this early season is reducing wholesale prices received by Florida blueberry growers. From 2009 to 2016, U.S. blueberry exports have remained flat (approximately 18,145 metric tons), while U.S. imports during that same period almost tripled [2]. SHB cultivars have historically been softer than northern highbush blueberry (NHB) (V. corymbosum) cultivars, limiting SHB to hand-harvest for fresh market. SHB are only mechanically harvested during the latter part of the season when it is no longer economical to harvest by hand. Mechanically harvested fruit may either go to the fresh or processed market depending on the cultivar and condition of the fruit. To reduce labor costs, blueberry growers in Florida, in other production areas across the United States and in major blueberry producing countries (e.g., Australia, Canada, Chile, and Poland), are increasingly showing interest in adopting mechanic...

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 54%

Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-The-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Handheld Shakers and Soft Catch Surfaces

et al. 2019

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“…Brown, et al [22] showed that an experimental blackberry harvester reduced blueberry bruising 10% (from 77% to 68%) compared to commercial harvesters available at that time. Various researchers have reported that blueberry impact damage can be mediated by cushioning hard impact surfaces [5,6,[10][11][12]22]. The present study showed that, although bruise incidence was significantly higher in MH versus HH blueberries, retrofitting the OTR harvester with SCS reduced bruising severity by 30% to 60%, depending on the cultivar.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 40%

“…However, for both harvests, cultivar influenced packout (71% to 81%) more than catch surface. Studying NHB cultivars, DeVetter et al [12] found differences in packout between "Duke" (84%) and Draper (74%). In contrast, marketable packout was similar for SHB cultivars Meadowlark (88%) and Farthing (91%) [11], in which the decrease in packout was due to a higher percentage of unripe fruit being picked.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…"Optimus", released by the UF breeding program for MH, was firmer than the other cultivars. DeVetter et al [12] found that firmness of NHB "Draper" was affected by catch surface when using hand-held shakers; however, firmness was not affected with "Duke". In a subsequent test using a modified OTR harvester, there was no significant difference in fruit firmness due to catch surface (hand, HCS or SCS) although there was a difference between cultivars 'Elliot' and 'Aurora'.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additional research has shown potential for harvesting berries with minimal bruising by modifying a commercial OTR harvester. In 2017, studies were conducted in Florida [11] and Washington [12] in which a small harvest crew rode on an OTR harvester with various soft-catch surfaces and used handheld shakers to remove fruit as a means to make harvest labor more efficient. These studies indicated that the semi-mechanical harvesting method and capturing detached berries on soft surfaces had potential for small-sized farms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-the-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Soft-Catch Surfaces to Minimize Impact Bruising

et al. 2021

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Harvest of fresh market, southern highbush blueberries (SHB) is labor intensive and costly, leading to a demand for alternative harvest methods. Recent research has shown potential for mechanically harvesting blueberries with minimal bruising by using a modified over-the-row (OTR) harvester. For two harvests, SHB cultivars Optimus and Vireo were either hand-harvested (HH) or mechanically harvested (MH) by two commercial harvesters, one unmodified with standard hard-catch surfaces (HCS) or by the other modified with soft-catch surfaces (SCS). For Harvest 1, fruit from all harvest methods were hand-sorted into the following categories: blue fruit (marketable), red fruit, green fruit and culls. Samples from each cultivar and treatment were then held at 24 °C overnight, and the following day firmness and impact bruise severity were determined. Harvest 2 had identical harvest treatments; however, the fruit were sorted on a commercial packing line prior to packing in clamshells (n = 16). A subsample was held overnight as in Harvest 1 for bruise severity rating, while the remaining fruit were stored at 1 °C for 14 days (d). Although percent marketable fruit was more affected by cultivar than harvest method, determination of bruise severity revealed the benefit of harvest with SCS over HCS for both cultivars. The former had 16–26% severe bruising, compared to 27–40% for the latter; HH had 1–4%. During storage, HH fruit remained firmer than HCS and SCS, which were similar. After 14 d, firmness for “Optimus” was 239 N (HH), 157 N (HCS and SCS) and for “Vireo” it was 189 (HH), 155 N (HCS and SCS). Fruit weight loss increased during storage (1.1–4.4%), but there was no difference due to catch plate surface. SSC, TTA and Ratio were not affected by catch surface type or storage period within cultivar. Using modifications such as “soft” catch surfaces on currently available OTR harvesters reduces impact bruise damage; however, impacts incurred during commercial packing operations can negate this effect. MH for fresh market blueberries may provide an economical alternative for blueberry growers; however, with current technology, the fruit should be utilized within a week of harvest.

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Bruise Damage Susceptibility of Blueberry and Strawberry

Sharma,

Venugopal

2023

Mechanical Damage in Fresh Horticultural Produce

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

Cited by 24 publications

References 12 publications

Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-The-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Handheld Shakers and Soft Catch Surfaces

Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-The-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Handheld Shakers and Soft Catch Surfaces

Harvest of Southern Highbush Blueberry with a Modified, Over-the-Row Mechanical Harvester: Use of Soft-Catch Surfaces to Minimize Impact Bruising

Bruise Damage Susceptibility of Blueberry and Strawberry

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