Abstract
Plant architecture and fruit (or pod) setting habits of horticultural crops significantly influence the performance of mechanical harvesters. To better understand these affects and provide a methodology to breed and select horticultural cultivars suitable for once-over mechanical harvesting, a multi-year study using 84 commercial fields was conducted. Using the harvest loss data collected, the relationship between plant architecture of four lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) cultivars and the recovery of lima beans harvested with a pod-stripper header was developed. Effect of plant architecture on header recovery was significant; cultivar M-15, which tended to set more pods in the lower zones of the plant, exhibited significantly higher harvest loss than the other cultivars. In general, greatest recovery (lowest yield loss) occurred with cultivars that set pods higher in the plant canopy. From the data collected, a mechanical harvesting index for bush-type crops that relates pod-setting architecture to header loss was established. The index can be used by plant breeders and equipment designers to select cultivars and machine configurations best suited for once-over harvest. Since previous research has demonstrated that the architecture of crops is influenced by growing conditions and practices, the harvesting index for a particular cultivar should be developed, validated, and used in the region where the crop will be grown.
Published Version
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