Extra Fancy Research Articles

Development and evaluation of an apple infield grading and sorting system

Infield pre-sorting is intended to remove processing-grade (inferior) fruit that are not suitable for the fresh market, so that growers can handle sorted apples differentially in postharvest storage and packing to achieve cost savings. To achieve this goal, we developed an apple infield grading and sorting system, in which fruit singulation, rotation, and transportation are achieved by using simple, compact pitch-variable screw conveyors, fruit grading (for size and color) is accomplished with a low-cost imaging system, and fruit sorting is done by using paddle sorters. Experiments were conducted for ‘Red Delicious’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ apples to evaluate the overall performance of the infield grading and sorting system in terms of grading repeatability (i.e., chances of each apple that would be graded into the same quality grade in multiple runs and different lanes), bruising damage, and sorting accuracy (consistency between the imaging-based grading results and destinations). Results showed that the grading repeatability rates of the system were above 90 % and 81 % for intra- and inter-lane grading, respectively. The system achieved above 99 % sorting accuracy for the system throughputs of 7.5, 9.0, and 10.5 fruit s−1, while 100 % of sorted apples were graded Extra Fancy and 55 % or higher of the apples incurred no bruising damage during the grading and sorting process. The infield grading and sorting system is compact and robust in performance, and it can meet commercial infield sorting needs.

Bruise Patterns of Fresh Market Apples Caused by Fruit-to-Fruit Impact

Comprehensive understanding of bruise damage caused by apple-to-apple impacts is beneficial to design a low-impact fruit capturing mechanism for mass (shake-and-catch) harvesting, as well as to design other fruit handling devices. This study quantified the bruising severity in ‘Jazz’ apples induced by different levels of impact upon various fruit surface locations. Impact experiments were carried out to analyze bruising patterns in three zones in a fruit surface, i.e., middle/cheek-to-top/stem, middle-to-middle and middle-to-bottom/calyx. Moving fruit and stationary fruit were impacted using a pendulum-type test device, and an equivalent drop height of fruit was calculated to provide a more practical measure for designing a catching surface. In each impact zone, seven different levels of impacts were applied respectively at seven different locations on the fruit surface. Those locations were evenly distributed along the circumferential direction in each of the three zones, and moving fruit was replaced after each impact test. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) standard was then used to estimate percentages of fruit in the Extra Fancy Class 1 (no bruising), Extra Fancy (a bruising area diameter ≤ 12.7 mm) and Fresh Market (a bruising area diameter ≤ 19 mm) grades. Results showed that fruit bruising severity increased in a non-linear manner with increasing drop height. It was also found that there existed significant differences in fruit bruising severity between stationary and moving fruit under different fruit-to-fruit impact zones. The bottom zone showed the least bruising sensitivity, followed by the middle zone which was statistically similar to the same in the top zone. The results suggested that the free drop height need to be <3 cm to keep from fruit bruising caused by apple-to-apple impact at a negligible level for ‘Jazz’ apples.

Effect of Shaking Amplitude and Capturing Height on Mechanical Harvesting of Fresh Market Apples

This study evaluated the effect of shaking amplitude and capturing height on mechanical harvesting of fresh market apples in trellis trained trees. A linear-forced limb shaker with adjustable shaking amplitude and frequency was designed and fabricated. Shaking amplitudes of 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 mm were accessible. A catcher filled with 50 mm thickness of peanut foam underneath a piece of cotton was developed. The shaker and the catcher mounted on a movable lifting platform were integrated into a shake-and-catch harvesting system. The approximate middle of a targeted limb was selected as the shaking point and detached fruits were captured underneath the targeted section. The overall combinations of five levels of shaking amplitude and two levels of capturing height were tested for ‘Pink Lady’ apple trees trellis trained in a vertical fruiting wall architecture. Shaking frequency with 20 Hz and duration with 5 s were used in all tests. Fruit removal efficiency and fruit quality (USDA standard) were adopted to evaluate the quality of the harvesting system. Statistical analysis shows that fruit removal efficiency was significantly improved with increase of amplitude at a certain range; the capturing height significantly affected the percentage of Extra Fancy grade fruit. The results indicated that shaking amplitude with ~30 mm is sufficient to remove majority of fruits in the tested variety; capturing fruits that are much closer to the targeted limb is promising to obtain more Extra Fancy grade fruit.

Improvements and Evaluation of an In-Field Bin Filler for Apple Bruising and Distribution

Abstract. Automatic bin filling is needed for apple harvest and in-field sorting. A commercially viable bin filler for in-field use should be simple, compact, low in cost, and be able to distribute apples evenly in the bin without causing bruising damage. An innovative bin filling technology was developed for incorporation with the new apple harvest and in-field sorting machine recently developed by our group. Field tests of the first version of the bin filler in the 2016 harvest season showed relatively high bruising rates and uneven fruit distributions. Subsequently, a second version of the bin filler was developed with several major improvements. A new pair of foam rollers for better control of apples exiting the sorting system and avoiding fruit collisions during free falling was added below the sorter. An improved pinwheel with nine longer soft pads, instead of four short pads as in the original version, was installed for better fruit distribution. Foam guides, attached to the long pads, reduced the rolling speed of fruit from the pads into the bin. Field tests conducted in the 2017 harvest season showed that the second, improved version of the bin filler achieved superior performance in reducing bruise damage, with 99% of ‘Gala’ apples and 98% ‘Blondee’ of apples graded Extra Fancy. Furthermore, a depth imaging method, using a Kinect-v2 camera, was proposed to quantitatively compare the performance of the two bin fillers for distribution of fruit in the bin under uniform and non-uniform feeding conditions. Analysis of the fruit height data showed that the apple distributions were not significantly affected by feeding method for both bin fillers. Overall, the second version of the bin filler resulted in better distributions of apples in the bin, compared to the first version, and uneven distributions mainly occurred in the corners of the bin, which could not be reached by the bin filler’s pinwheel. The improved bin filler meets the requirements for apple harvest and in-field sorting, and it has potential for use with other harvest platforms. Keywords: 3D imaging, Apple, Bin filling, Bruising, Harvest, Sorting.

Design Features and Bruise Evaluation of an Apple Harvest and In-Field Presorting Machine

Abstract. In-field presorting of apples, in combination with the harvest aid function, would have advantages of cost savings in postharvest handling and storage, reduced postharvest pest and disease problems, and better inventory management, while also enhancing harvest productivity. A new apple harvest and in-field presorting prototype was developed to help apple growers achieve these potential benefits. The prototype sorts and grades fruit based on color and size, using a machine vision-based sorting system with an innovative fruit singulating and rotating design (SRD), and it handles the graded fruit in the bins using newly designed automatic bin fillers. Bruise damage by impact is a critical factor in the development of the apple harvest and in-field presorting prototype. This article reports on the major design features of the prototype and experimental evaluation of the prototype for potential bruise damage. Experiments were conducted on ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ apples to evaluate bruise damage potential under both empty and partially filled bin conditions. An impact recording device (IRD) was used to measure the impact magnitude in terms of peak acceleration (G) at all critical points of the machine, including harvest conveyors, main conveyor, flat conveyor, SRD, cup conveyor, bin filler, and bins. It was found that bruise damage mainly occurred during bin filling. The number of impacts recorded for the partially filled bin was reduced by 60%, compared to that for the empty bin, indicating that the impact between apples and the wooden bin’s floor was a major cause of bruising. The maximum G value for the partially filled bin was measured at 34.5, while the measured G values were less than 20 from start to the point just before the bin filler, indicating no bruise damage. Bruise evaluation showed that no more than 9% of the test apples would be downgraded from ‘Extra Fancy’ grade for the partially filled bin condition. Higher G values for the empty bin condition suggested the need for further improvement to the discharge of apples from the bin filler to the bin to further reduce bruise damage. Keywords: Apples, Bruising, Fruit, Grading, Harvesting, Sorting, Machine vision.

Quantifying fruit quality affected by mechanical impact for selected apple varieties

To obtain baseline information for providing sufficient protection during localized shake-and-catch harvesting, the potential of fruit quality on top, middle and bottom surface zones of ‘Jazz’, ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Envy’ apples was assessed when respectively impacted by aluminum and three different cushioned surface materials using a developed pendulum-type device. Three types of 12.7 mm thick Polyurethane foam pieces with 2.1 (Foam 1), 4.8 (Foam 2), and 9.7-11 (Foam 3) kPa deformation pressure were selected as the cushioning materials. Based on USDA Grades and Standards for fresh market apples, the categories of Extra Fancy Class 1 (no bruising), Extra Fancy and Fresh-market percentages were used to evaluate fruit quality with varying impact levels. According to equivalent principle of energy, equivalent drop heights of fruits were converted from impact forces created by surface materials impacting fruits. The fruit quality patterns with varying equivalent drop heights were determined for each of the three apple varieties. The results showed that Extra Fancy Class 1 grade was maintained within the equivalent drop heights of 24, 50 and 54 cm for ‘Jazz’ apples, 8, 18 and 38 cm for ‘Granny Smith’ apples, and 7, 26 and 34 cm ‘Envy’ apples when catching surface cushioned by Foam1, 2 and 3 respectively. To achieve better protection for higher drop heights, it would be reasonable to suggest the deformation pressure of the series of cushioning material used could be 4.8-11 kPa for ‘Jazz’ apples whereas the same for ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Envy’ apples could be over 11 kPa.

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

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.

Shake-and-Catch Harvesting for Fresh Market Apples in Trellis-Trained Trees

Currently, fresh market apples are picked manually around the globe, which has become a challenge due to the decreasing availability of labor and the high associated cost. To reduce harvest cost and dependence on human labor, researchers and growers have been seeking mechanical solutions for decades. However, the high rate of harvest-induced fruit damage has been an obstacle to commercializing these technologies. To achieve a desirable level of fruit quality with mechanical harvesting, a new shake-and-catch system with two catching buffers for reducing fruit impact was developed and evaluated in this study. The system provides localized harvesting by shaking targeted tree limbs and catching the detached fruits directly under the limbs. To test the performance of the catching device, a series of laboratory tests was conducted using an impact recording device. The results showed that the impact force of falling fruit and the number of impacts decreased dramatically when using a catching surface with buffers compared to using a catching surface without buffers. A harvesting test was performed with ‘Jazz‘ apple trees trained to vertical fruiting wall architecture. The system achieved fruit removal efficiencies of 84%, 86%, and 92% for shaking frequencies of 15, 20, and 25 Hz, respectively. The corresponding collection efficiencies were 99%, 98%, and 93%. The system achieved the highest quality grade (Extra Fancy) for 85% of the harvested fruits when the limb was shaken at 15 Hz and fruits were collected using a catching surface tilted at an angle of 25°. With this level of performance of the prototype system, this study showed that the developed shake-and-catch system offers a promising solution for mechanical harvesting of ‘Jazz‘ apples, with potential extension to other apple varieties grown in modern fruiting wall architectures.

'Jazz' Apple Impact Bruise Responses to Different Cushioning Materials

<abstract> Currently, fresh market apples are harvested manually in the U.S. and around the world. Because of increasing labor shortages and costs, there is a critical need for developing mechanical harvesting techniques. Mass harvest using a shake-and-catch system is a potential solution for addressing this issue. Selecting suitable materials that can provide adequate cushioning for apples could help to reduce fruit bruising during mechanical harvesting. To gain an understanding of how cushioning materials can absorb impacts on fruit, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the bruise response of apples to different impact levels. A specially designed pendulum impact platform was used to conduct the tests. Three types of cushioning materials (polyurethane foam) covering an aluminum plate were used as the impact surfaces, and the bare aluminum plate was used as the control surface. Polyurethane foams with the same thickness but different firmness ratings (at 25% deflection) were used to exert impacts on stationary apples sitting freely on a horizontal surface. In this study, seven different impact levels were applied at three impact zones (top, middle, and bottom) of ‘Jazz‘ apples. Impact tests were repeated 50 times for each impact level at each zone. The results showed that no bruising resulted when apples were impacted at ≤22 N with the bare aluminum plate regardless of the impact zone. The non-bruising impact level increased to 95, 160, and 160 N after 12.7 mm thick foam cushions with firmness ratings of 2.1, 4.8, and 9.7 to 11 kPa (foams 1, 2, and 3, respectively) were used to cover the aluminum plate. Based on USDA grades, 100% of the apples maintained Extra Fancy quality at 50, 115, 171, and 180 N when impacted by the bare aluminum plate and by the plate covered with foams 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The tolerable impact levels to maintain 100% of apples within the fresh-market quality threshold were 95, 189, 230, and 232 N, respectively. These results showed that the foams with firmness ratings of 4.8 kPa and 9.7 to 11.0 kPa (foams 2 and 3) provided better cushioning for apples, as the fruit tolerated a substantially higher level of impact compared to using the bare aluminum plate or foam 1. The results also showed that the difference between foams 2 and 3 was very slight, which could indicate that a cushioning material with a firmness rating of 4.8 kPa or higher could provide sufficient cushioning for apples.

Brush Mechanism for Distributing Apples in a Low-Cost Apple Harvest-Assist Unit

Apple harvest depends on a large seasonal workforce, and decreasing availability of agricultural employees, increasing labor costs, and occupational injuries are creating challenges for apple harvest activities. Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University developed a low-cost apple harvest-assist unit to improve apple harvest efficiency. The unit performed reliably during field tests. Apple bruising incidence, however, was extremely high with the initial design. This was a major problem for this unit, which targeted fresh market apples. This study focused on identifying reasons for apple bruising, and designing and testing a new speed-reduction brush mechanism for distributing the apples into the bin. Field tests demonstrated that 98.50% and 1.50% of ‘Fuji’ apples harvested by this unit with the speed-reduction brush mechanism mounted were graded as “Extra Fancy” and “Fancy”, respectively. The satisfactory experimental results demonstrated the commercialization potential for this low-cost apple harvest-assist unit utilizing the brush speed-reduction mechanism.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a New Bin Filler for Apple Harvesting and In-Field Sorting Machine

Abstract. The bin filler, which is used for filling the fruit container or bin with apples coming from the sorting system, plays a critical role in the self-propelled apple harvest and in-field sorting (HIS) machine that is being developed in our laboratory. Two major technical challenges in developing the bin filler are limited space in the HIS machine and high throughput. A literature review showed that despite many different types of bin fillers currently available for in-field use, none of them is suitable for the HIS machine because of their large size, use of the bin rotating design concept, and high unit cost. Effort has thus been made on the development of new bin filling technology for use with the HIS machine. The new bin filler mainly consists of a mechanical system with a pinwheel design and an automatic control system. A key innovation in the mechanical system is the use of two foam rollers to catch freely falling apples, which has greatly simplified the bin filler design and also made the system compact and lower in cost. The control system is mainly composed of an onboard Arduino microcontroller and three sensors (one infrared sensor and two Hall effect sensors) to monitor and measure the status of apples filling the bin as well as the rotational speed of the pinwheel. A program was developed for the Arduino microcontroller to record and process the data from the sensors in real-time to achieve automatic control of the bin filling. Laboratory tests with ‘Gala’ apples demonstrated that 97% of apples that had been handled by the new bin filler were rated Extra Fancy grade, and its performance exceeded the industry’s requirement for bruising damage to apples. Keywords: Apples, Automatic control, Bin filling, Bruising, Harvest, Sensors, Sorting and grading.

Bruise Responses of Apple-to-Apple Impact

Abstract: Currently, no commercial success has been achieved for mechanized or automated harvesting of fresh market apples. Automated or robotic harvesting systems have primarily been limited by the speed, accuracy, robustness and cost of the machine. Bulk harvesting has a potential to address these challenges but the technique suffers from a high level of harvest-induced fruit damage. To gain an understanding of bruising potential during fruit-to-fruit collision that occurs during bulk harvesting, apple-to-apple impact tests were carried out in a laboratory using a specially design pendulum-type apple bruising test device. This device could attach a half-apple on its pendulum impactor with its middle zone as the impacting surface to apply an impact force on different surfaces of a whole apple placed on a stationary platform of the device to quantitatively study the effects of different impacts. Three impact patterns of middle-to-top, middle-to-middle and middle-to-bottom zone between two apple specimens were tested using “Granny Smith” apples. Six to seven different levels of impact forces were applied for each test pattern. Obtained results revealed that if the impact force were less than 16 N it would result in no bruising on apple specimen in all test conditions. This particular variety of apple could tolerate a moderate impact force of ~28 N and still maintain an “Extra Fancy” quality over 98% for all tested fruit. This study also showed that, if the impact force could be controlled on a level less than 53 N, about 94% or more apples could still meet a “fresh-market” quality threshold.

DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF MECHANICAL PICKING HEAD FOR PEACH FRUITS HARVESTING

The traditional harvesting peach fruits methods using hand hook and hand picking consider the most important problems still facing the peach producers in Egypt due to lower picker productivity and fruit quality. Therefore, two mechanical harvesting prototypes (electrical picking hook and electrical picking holder) were designed and fabricated for picking peach fruits as a simple low cost picking heads that assures having fair fruit quality with minimal damage and evaluating the effect of using it on the picker performance and productivity. The evaluation experiments were carried out during picking peach fruit seasons of 2007 and 2008 at some private peach farms in EL-Arish, North Sinai Governorate and old Meet-Ghamr, Dakhalia Governorate, Egypt. The obtained results allow us to drawn the following conclusions The picker productivity using electrical picking hook was increased by about (91.32, 146.92, and 46.30% and saving the total harvesting cost by about 47.73, 62.29 and 41.38% (as an average percentages for picking Meet Ghamr and Early Grand peach fruits varieties) comparing with electrical picking holder, manual picking hook and hand picking method, respectively. Using electrical picking hook gave the lowest percentage of bruised (3.0%), damaged fruit percentage (1.0%), and the highest value of good quality fruit percentage 96.0% (extra fancy–Grade I) comparing with other mechanical and traditional harvesting methods under study. The authors recommended to locally fabricate and use the electrical picking hook for harvesting peach fruits to increase labor picking productivity and reduce picking cost. In addition to increase the rate of good quality for local and exporting fresh markets, consequently, increasing the net benefit and national income. However, the electrical picking holder still needs some modifications to increase its performance efficiency.

Dry Bin Filler for Apples

A unique dry bin filler for apples using a sequenced tray was developed to reduce bruising in packing operations. Research and commercial trials in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington State demonstrated the ability to fill bins evenly and with low damage. Cultivars with different bruising susceptibility ('Pink Lady,' 'Golden Delicious,' 'McIntosh,' 'Mutsu,' 'Delicious,' and 'Fuji') were used to test the bin filler in research trials and commercial assessments. Fruit that were downgraded from U.S. Extra Fancy grade after handling by the bin filler were 1.7%, 1.4%, and 2.9% at each test location. The filler was shown to produce less than 5% bruising on fruit and to have the ability to operate in commercial locations.

The Erotics of an Oil Drum: Queercore, Gay Macho, and the Defiant Sexuality of Extra Fancy's Sinnerman

IN 1996 ATLANTIC RECORDS RELEASED AND almost instantly abandoned an album that asserted uniquely aggressive, macho gay male identity. The songs of Extra Fancy's Sinnerman deal with sadomasochism, violent retribution against gay-bashers, and life with HIV in punk-inflected style that musically reflects the intense aggression of their texts. Extra Fancy first released Sinnerman on the independent label Diablo Musica, but Atlantic immediately picked it up, hoping to use it as catalyst for their new gay marketing division. Eight weeks later the band, along with the division, was dropped, rais[ing] eyebrows among the alternative rock community. (1) Despite Extra Fancy's explicitly homosexual-themed lyrics, only the lead singer of the band was openly gay. Brian Grillo's intimidating muscular body, aggressive stage presence, butch clothing style, and shaved head presented radical gay male image that foregrounded an enraged machismo. His gritty vocal style demonstrated indebtedness to the hardcore-grunge-alternative masculinity of Henry Rollins, Kurt Cobain, and Eddie Vedder as he strutted imposingly on stage, shirtless, banging on fifty-gallon oil drum. Nine years later Extra Fancy was virtually canonized in David Ciminelli and Ken Knox's celebration of the queercore movement, Homocore: The Loud and Raucous Rise of Queer Rock, even as the authors observe that Grillo never had desire to be anything other than performer who rocked--regardless of his sexual orientation. Indeed, in their interview with him he clearly distances himself from the book's subject. Nevertheless, for Ciminelli and Knox, the members of Extra Fancy were once messiahs of the queercore movement. (2) This dissonance invites close consideration of Extra Fancy's constructions of queer identity. The term queercore or homocore can be used to describe number of subcultural and musical practices, but its most common usage--a usage I have found prominent during my localized ethnographic work with Homocore Minneapolis--refers to the channeling of the underground, do-it-yourself ethics associated with punk music and style and their offshoots in order to challenge both heteronormativity and more mainstream images of LGBT life and culture. Despite Grillo's reluctance to associate himself with the queer punk movement, Sinnerman's lyrics explicitly and often graphically address male homosexuality, while its music demonstrates particular variant of the hardcore legacy of queercore style. Still, the privileged place Ciminelli and Knox claim for the band within musical subculture that is in large part defined by fluidity of gender and sexual identity presents significant issues of representation and authority. As Susan McClary notes, the various cultural and artistic discourses at work in society do not simply represent preexisting notions of community and identity but are where the ongoing work of social formation occurs. (3) Extra Fancy challenged some of the most culturally prevalent perceptions about sexual identity and musical gendering during the time in which they were active. This article in part constitutes an attempt--largely driven by Judith Halberstam's call for archiving queer subcultural production, which is frequently and necessarily fleeting--to recover this underappreciated cultural moment, one whose transgressive potential warrants examination. (4) Halberstam describes her conception of queer archive as not simply collection of documentary artifacts but a discursive field and structure of thinking and a theory of cultural relevance, construction of collective memory, and complex record of queer activity. (5) While I wish to place Extra Fancy within the queer archive, I also recognize that this essay necessarily constitutes an initial foray into the explication of the discourses and social structures surrounding the band. Therefore, I primarily approach Extra Fancy from two contextual angles. …

The value of apple characteristics to wholesalers in western Canada: A hedonic approach

Sensory methods have been used to evaluate subjective apple characteristics such as juiciness, flavour, and texture. There is very little information to indicate the value wholesalers place on objective apple characteristics such as cultivar, grade, and fruit size. In this study, a hedonic price function for apples was estimated to evaluate the relationship between British Columbia (BC) apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) prices and the wholesalers’ perception of product quality characteristics. In this study, sales data and cultivar characteristics were obtained for three large wholesalers in western Canada that purchase BC fruit. Cultivar, fruit size, and grade were the most significant variables influencing apple prices. Wholesalers paid price premiums ($2.25 to $5.25 per tray) for speciality cultivars such as Gala, Fuji and Braeburn compared with traditional cultivars such as McIntosh, Red Delicious and Spartan. Large fruit size earned a price premium ($1.73 per tray) and small fruit were discounted ($2.00 per tray) compared with medium size apples. Apples graded Canada Extra Fancy (One Stripe) and BC Extra Fancy provided packing houses with price premiums ($1.50) over Canada Fancy. Apples in controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage earned price premiums ($0.96 to $1.89 per tray) in the months of January through June. Key words: Apple characteristics, wholesalers' preference, hedonic price function.

FRESH–MARKET QUALITY TREE FRUIT HARVESTER PART II: APPLES

A twosided mechanical harvester was developed to remove apples grown on narrowinclined trellises. Units wereessentially mirror images. On each unit the harvester operator used joysticks to position and engage a rapid displacementactuator (RDA) on main scaffolds to effect fruit removal. Catching conveyors were designed to intercept falling fruit withoutdamage and elevate the fruit to a collecting conveyor. Cushioned catcher pans on each unit were used to seal around the trunkand connect the two units. Fruit removal was 95% or better, and 86 to 95% of all the fruit on the trees were recovered. Testson eight cultivars of apples yielded 59 to 84% Extra Fancy packout. Cuts and punctures were the biggest factor preventingthe harvester from harvesting a higher level of freshmarket quality fruit. Stempulls with this harvesting technique rangedfrom 20 to 57%, depending on cultivar, and may create a decay problem. Cultivar growth habit varied greatly in theiradaptability to this harvesting concept.

Evaluation of Postharvest Removal of Sooty Blotch and Flyspeck on Apples Using Sodium Hypochlorite, Hydrogen Peroxide with Peroxyacetic Acid, and Soap.

Postharvest dips of apples (Malus × domestica) in commercial disinfestants were used to remove signs of the flyspeck (FS) pathogen, Schizothyrium pomi, and the sooty blotch (SB) complex (Peltaster fructicola, Leptodontium elatius, and Geastrumia polystigmatis). Apples were dipped for 7 or 15 min in buffered sodium hypochlorite (Agclor 310 plus Decco 312 Buffer) at 200, 400, 500, 600, or 800 ppm chlorine, a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid (Tsunami 100) at 60 ppm/80 ppm, 120 ppm/160 ppm, or 360 ppm/480 ppm, respectively, or soap (Kleen 440), then brushed and rinsed for 30 s on a commercial grading line. Disease severity was assessed as percent diseased area using a quantitative rating system, and by counting the number of colonies of three mycelial types of SB and FS. Percent diseased area on apples was converted to USDA apple grade ratings and retail values. Both assessment methods provided similar results, but the percent-diseased-area method was less labor intensive. A 7-min dip in 800 ppm chlorine resulted in a mean increase from 25 and 55% to 100% Extra Fancy grade for 'Jonathan' and 'Golden Delicious' apples, respectively, and increased market value by 31 and 14%, respectively. The 7-min, 200-ppm chlorine dip resulted in an increase from 28 and 45% to 92.5 and 96.5% Extra Fancy after treatment for 'Jonathan' and 'Golden Delicious', respectively. Blemishes were removed more effectively from 'Jonathan' and 'McIntosh' apples than from 'Golden Delicious'. Mycelial types of the sooty blotch and flyspeck fungi were removed differentially by the disinfestant dip treatments.

RELATION OF INDIVIDUAL FORCES ON APPLES AND BRUISING DURING ORCHARD TRANSPORT OF BULK BINS

Dynamic forces which act on fruit inside a bulk bin of apples have been studied for orchard transport (1.3–km track), using an array of 10 prototype low–profile force sensors placed on the base of the orchard bins. Five bulk bin designs (one hardwood, one plywood, and three plastic bins) were assessed using long and short tyned tractor mounted forks. Gradeout of U.S. Extra Fancy was similar for most of the bins irrespective of the fork length used. Average forces on individual fruit ranged from 2–60 N and peak forces as high as 130 N were recorded. Correlation of the cumulated number of shock force events with damage showed a strong relationship for only half the runs. One run recorded significantly higher levels of damage and it was clearly associated with a single high shock force event recorded by the sensors.

A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ROBOTIC BULK HARVESTING OF APPLES

A unique robotic bulk harvester was conceived and developed to remove apples grown on narrow inclined trellises. The system combined mechanical harvesting technology with sensors and intelligent adaptive technology to identify an individual branch, determine fruit locations, position a Rapid Displacement Actuator (RDA) and a catching surface under the apples, and execute the RDA. Detachment was effected by rapidly displacing the limb away from the fruit. Requirements for a compatible tree training system were developed. Field testing demonstrated feasibility of the complete system. Fruit removal averaged 95% and detached fruit graded 99% U.S. Extra Fancy. Factors were identified to improve all aspects of the system and will require additional research.