Harvesting Apples Research Articles

Adoption of labor-enhancing technologies by specialty crop producers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold, first: to define the profile of adopters of labor-enhancing technologies (e.g. platforms) identifying factors – such as operations size, mix of fruits grown, apple operation location, principal operators socio-demographics – and second: to estimate the efficiency threshold for platform adoption during apple harvesting to be financially feasible considering future increases in farm labor wages. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a mixed-mode survey in January-February 2010. Data were analyzed using a bivariate probit model, considering that the decision to adopt platforms was related with the orchard planting system. The authors conducted simulation scenarios to estimate the efficiencies – harvest – platforms must achieve in order to be economically feasible. Findings – In total, 11 percent of the 316 apple operations covered by the survey used platforms. Orchard operations most likely to invest in planar structures are relatively large, produce high-value varieties, use organic systems, and have relatively young and educated operators. Similarly, operations producing high-value fruit such as “Honeycrisp” and controlled or patented varieties and relatively large operations are more likely to invest in platforms. The results of the comparison of the cost of harvesting apples using platforms vs ladders under several production assumptions indicate that platforms must increase labor productivity by at least 13 percent in order to be adopted by the industry. Research limitations/implications – This study caveat is the lack of inclusion of production and marketing uncertainties in the estimation of future apple harvest costs. Further research to deeper analyze these issues is needed. Practical implications – The authors present information on the profile of mechanization adopters, so extension educators and engineers could concentrate efforts on them to increase adoption levels. In addition the authors provide a threshold of efficiencies for harvest platforms associated with cost savings compared to manual harvest. Social implications – Enabling the adoption of mechanization technologies by specialty crop industries would decrease the dependence on labor, decreasing labor uncertainties and facilitating the production of high quality produce to satisfy the needs of consumers. Second, it will end an era of importing poverty, given that the specialty crop industry has long benefited from seasonal migrant workers. It will improve rural American communities to shorten pools of farm workers, giving them access to permanent jobs with higher salaries. Originality/value – The contribution of this study is to improve understanding of the degree of mechanization, financial feasibility of current existing technologies, and barriers to greater mechanization by the Washington apple industry. Given the similar labor challenges faced, in general, by the US specialty crop agriculture, results could be applicable to the entire industry.

Comparing Upper Arm and Back Postural Exposures between Apple Harvesting with Ladders and Mobile Platform

In the US tree fruit industry, in attempt to improve the efficiency of orchard workers; harvest-assisting mobile platforms have been introduced. However, the effect these mobile platforms have on physical exposures, i.e. non-neutral work postures, has not been evaluated. The purposes of this study were to compare ergonomic risk factors between a new apple harvesting method using mobile platforms and the traditional method using ladders. Twenty-four workers participated in this study and were equally divided into three groups, harvesting apples from ladders (n = 8), mobile platforms (n = 8) and the ground (n = 8). Upper arm and back inclinations were continuously monitored and calculated over the whole work period, excluding breaks. Upper arm posture was characterized in terms of the percent of time when upper arm flexion and abduction exceeded 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 80 and 90 degrees. Back inclination was characterized as the percent time forward bending exceeded 10, 20 and 30 degrees. The results showed that the workers on the mobile platform typically had lower postural exposures than the ground and the ladder workers, respectively.

INTERNAL BROWNING IN 'KANZI®' APPLES - REASONS AND POSSIBILITIES TO REDUCE THE DISORDER

‘Kanzi’® (‘Nicoter’) apple shows a high sensitivity to internal browning disorders during CA-storage. To investigate the reasons and to develop optimal storage conditions for the ‘Kanzi’ apple, storage experiments have been carried out for five 5 years. Fruit were picked from different orchards at up to four different harvest dates. After harvest apples were stored at various temperatures (1, 2, 3 or 5°C), and at different O2- (1 and 3 kPa) and CO2-partial pressures (0.7, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 kPa). In addition, a delayed establishment of CA conditions (7 or 21 days) was compared with a CA, employed immediately after harvest. After 4 to 8 months storage plus 7 d shelf-life at 20°C the influence of the tested factors on storability and fruit quality attributes (firmness, TA, TSS and skin colour) as well as on the incidence of browning disorders was investigated. Mineral analyses were carried out to find possible correlations between the mineral status of the fruit and the occurrence of internal browning. Results showed that ‘Kanzi’ apple is very sensitive to low temperatures and to increased CO2 partial pressure during CA storage. Apple stored at 3°C showed significantly less incidence of internal browning compared to fruit from 2 or 1°C, respectively, without having a negative influence of the increased temperature on fruit quality attributes. In a similar manner, increasing CO2 partial pressure (>1.5 kPa) led to an increase of the browning symptoms compared to apple stored at 0.7% CO2. The application of delayed CA-conditions did not show any positive effect in reducing the symptoms, but the sensitivity for internal browning was significantly increased with later harvest dates. Fruit mineral status did not appear to be correlated with sensitivity to internal browning symptoms. For ‘Kanzi’ apples, from the Lake Constance region, storage temperatures of 3°C, 1 kPa O2, E‚1 kPa CO2 and a CA start immediately after room filling seem to be suitable to reduce the occurrence of internal browning and to maintain fruit quality during long term storage.

CATTS를 이용한 복숭아순나방 사과 수확 후 방제 기술

The present invention relates to a method for repelling Grapholita molesta after harvesting apples and, specifically, to a method for repelling Grapholita molesta after harvesting apples by using a controlled atmosphere temperature treatment system (CATTS). In the present invention, provided is a method for repelling Grapholita molesta after harvesting apples by using a CATTS, the method comprising: an initial heating step of increasing the temperature until the temperature inside an apple reaches 44±1°C; and a high temperature maintaining step of maintaining the temperature of the apple at 44±1°C for 0.5-3 hours. According to the present invention, a CATTS repelling method is developed for a growing period having the largest heat resistance from among growing periods of Grapholita molesta that can be exposed to apple fruit, thereby exhibiting a 100% repelling effect after a harvest with Grapholita molesta larva damage. The method of the present invention can replace an existing chemical repelling method using methylbromide and the like, so that a stable and environmentally-friendly harvest is possible and the method can be widely used in repelling Grapholita molesta of apples. Also, the same can be remarkably used not only for domestically demanded agricultural products but also for exporting agricultural products requiring a solution for a Grapholita molesta quarantine problem.

INFLUENCE OF PREHARVEST SPRAYS OF A MIXTURE OF CALCIUM FORMATE, CALCIUM ACETATE, CALCIUM CHLORIDE AND CALCIUM NITRATE ON QUALITY AND ‘JONAGOLD’ APPLE STORABILITY

The aim of the study was to examine effect of preharvest sprays of a mixture of calcium (Ca) formate, Ca-acetate, Ca-chloride (CaCl2) and Ca-nitrate [Ca(NO3)2] on quality and apple storability. The experiment was conducted during 2008–2009 at the Experimental Station of the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice, Poland, on mature ‘Jonagold’ apple trees/M.26, planted at a moderate density on a coarse-textured soil with low status of organic matter and abundant in exchangeable Ca. Apple trees were sprayed with Ca, 7 times per season, at 2-week intervals, starting 3 weeks after blooming. In the spray treatments a mixture of Ca-formate, Ca-acetate, CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2 (as Insol Wap fertilizer), CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2 were used at rates of 7.3 kg Ca, 11.8 kg Ca, and 9.9 kg Ca ha−1 per season, respectively. The trees sprayed with water were treated as the control. The results showed that Ca sprays caused no leaf and fruit injury. Calcium spray measures did not affect yield, mean fruit weight, and soluble solids concentration (SSC), titratable acidity and starch index of fruit at harvest. However, at harvest apples sprayed with Ca contained more this nutrient and were firmer than those of the control plots. After storage apples sprayed with Ca had more acids, and were firmer and less liable to bitter pit than the control fruit. Calcium sprays did not affect SSC of fruit after storage but reduced postharvest decay of fruit caused by Peziculla spp. and Penicillium expansum fungi. Apples sprayed with Insol Wap material were the least affected by the above pathogens. It is concluded that in apple orchards preharvest sprays of a mixture of Ca-formate, Ca-acetate, CaCl2 and Ca(NO3)2, containing 10% Ca (w/w) with ca. 50% in an organic form, can be the alternative to sprays of CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2.

Kissing Annabel: Love, Ghosts, & Facial Hair and A Place Like This (review)

Reviewed by: Kissing Annabel: Love, Ghosts, & Facial Hair and A Place Like This Karen Coats Herrick, Steven . Kissing Annabel: Love, Ghosts, & Facial Hair and A Place Like This. Simon Pulse, 2009 137p. Paper ed. ISBN 978-1-4169-8287-6 $7.99 R Gr. 7-10 This volume contains two verse novels previously published separately in Australia: Love, Ghosts, & Facial Hair and A Place Like This. In the first book, Jack and his family attempt to come to terms with the loss of Jack's mother to breast cancer. Jack meets Annabel, and her acceptance of the fact that he writes poetry and talks to the ghost of his mom helps him through his grief. In the second book, Jack and Annabel decide to forego university and get in their car and spend a year driving around the country. After only two days, however, they run out of gas, and they're picked up by a farmer who needs their help harvesting apples. While at the farm, the two learn more about who they are and what they want through their relationship with the farmer's pregnant teenaged daughter. The poems are all free verse, each written in the voice of one of the characters, most only a couple of pages long; each is titled, and a table of contents appears at the beginning of each book. The poetry is simple yet lyrical, with the most poignant moments coming through the poems in Jack's father's voice. Herrick does not overuse imagery or figurative language, preferring instead to work with repetition of sounds, gentle rhythms, and straightforward sense depictions. The effect is subtle and quietly realistic; readers who enjoy real romance laced with an appreciation for and love of family will enjoy this antipodean import. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Influence of harvest maturity on cut-edge browning of ‘Granny Smith’ fresh apple slices treated with anti-browning solution after cutting

Over several years, many fresh-cut apple processors have complained about browning of slices made from ‘Granny Smith’ apples during the harvest season, before fruit have been stored for any length of time. ‘Granny Smith’ apples are a late harvest apples and quite often, at higher latitudes, they are harvested to avoid frost injury and may not always be physiologically mature. It was postulated that immature fruit would have greater susceptibility to browning, despite the application of anti-browning solution after cutting. Fruits were harvested from selected trees beginning five weeks before anticipated commercial harvest and continued weekly until two weeks after commercial harvest. The maturity indicators internal ethylene and starch clearing indices were measured. Ten fruits were sliced, dipped in 7 g L −1 NatureSeal ® and then packaged in zip-loc bags and held at 5 °C. Slices made from apples that were harvested two weeks early or earlier than the optimal maturity, as determined by the maturity measures, had significant levels of cut-edge browning despite the post-cutting application of anti-browning dip. These results clearly indicate that ‘Granny Smith’ apples harvested two weeks or earlier before induction of climacteric ethylene production (when starch index is less than 2.5) should be avoided for use in fresh slicing.

멜론 재배작업용 하이브리드 매니플레이터 개발

Various robots were developed for harvesting fruits and vegetables. However, each robot was designed for a specific task such as harvesting apples or vegetables. This has been a big hurdle in application of robots to agriculture. A new type of hybrid manipulator with both parallel and serial joints was developed and designed to apply to various kinds of field operations. The hybrid manipulator had 2 extra degree of freedom in serial joints which made it flexible in switching one to the other type of hybrid manipulator, for example, PUMA to SCARA. And it was designed to harvest heavy fruits such as musky melons or water melons even behind leaves or branches of tree. This hybrid manipulator showed less than <TEX>$\pm1mm$</TEX> position error. It was concluded that the hybrid manipulator was an effective and feasible tool to perform various works and to increase working performance.

THE QUALITY AND STORABILITY OF APPLES CV. ´JONAGORED´ SELECTED AT-HARVEST BY TIME-RESOLVED REFLECTANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Apple maturity at harvest is a critical factor which affects ripening and determines the post-harvest utilization of fruits. A new non-destructive technique, Time-Resolved Reflectance Spectroscopy (TRS), which measures separately the two optical properties of absorption and scattering at a deepness of 1-2 cm in the fruit flesh, has been successfully used for determining the maturity at harvest of nectarines in order to predict their softening rate and so to choose their marketing destinations. The aim of this work was to evaluate the usefulness of the absorption coefficient measured at 630 nm (μ a 630) by TRS to assess apple quality at harvest and after storage. 'Jonagored' apples were picked on 30 August and 13 September 2002. 150 fruits/pick were ranked by decreasing μ a 630 (from less to more mature) and divided into three maturity classes (less, medium and more mature). At-harvest, at the end of six months' storage at 1°C in normal or Controlled Atmosphere (1% O 2 , 2% CO 2 ) and after 7 days of shelf-life at 20°C, apples were analysed for fruit mass, skin colour, firmness, soluble solids (SS) and titratable acidity (TA). At the end of shelf-life, less and more mature fruits were assessed by sensory analyses and for juice content. The absorption coefficient μ a 630 was significantly higher in first harvest apples. Apples with higher μ a 630 had lower fruit mass, lower % blush both at harvest and after storage. Fruits classified as more mature by TRS had less TA at harvest and more SS after storage; at sensory analyses these fruits were significantly sweeter, more aromatic and pleasant. It can be concluded that TRS can be used to select apples according to maturity and so to separate fruits of different quality within the same batch.

Starch degradation and starch pattern indices; interpretation and relationship to maturity

Abstract Indication of starch hydrolysis by iodine staining is widely used in determining when to harvest apples, yet few quantitative changes in apple starch have been reported and no reports relate these to changes in iodine staining. Starch accumulation and degradation during fruit development was examined in ‘Fuji’ and ‘Royal Gala’ apples. Both cultivars displayed similar patterns in starch accumulation and degradation. Starch concentrations decreased until 30 days after anthesis, then increased, peaking at 100 days after anthesis. Starch concentrations differed between the tissue zones, being highest in the outer cortex and lowest in the core. Net starch degradation started at the same time in all tissues, well before iodine stain clearing was detected in the core, and before there was any change in background colour or increase in ethylene production. Iodine stain clearing occurred once starch concentrations fell below 2–3 mg g/fwt. The rate of degradation was slower in the core than in the outer cortex and other tissues in both cultivars, and in ‘Fuji’ fruit the rate of degradation in the vascular bundles was also slower than in the outer cortex. The rate of starch degradation differed also between the two cultivars, leading to an apparent difference in timing of starch degradation according to starch pattern indices. Application of these results to fruit maturing under different conditions may lead to better interpretations of inherent fruit quality at harvest.

Apple Harvesting Concepts for Inclined Trellised Canopies

Two concepts were developed and tested for harvesting apples from Y-trellised canopies. The harvest aid concept placed two pickers under the arms of the trellis and required only that they pick and drop the fruit onto a padded catching surface. The other concept impacted individual limbs for fruit removal. The fruit fell to a padded catching surface. Initial field evaluation showed fruit quality from the harvest aid to be as good as that from conventional hand harvesting. Fruit quality obtained from impacting individual limbs was not as good as from the harvest aid; but better than previous research where fruit removal was caused by impacting the tree trunk.

Effect of apple position on the tree on maturity and quality

A study was made on the effect of the position of the apple (cv. Royal Delicious, Richared and Red Delicious) on the tree, its size and colour on maturation and quality (colour, appearance, texture, juiceness, aroma, taste, overall quality, Magness Taylor value, Ottawa Texture Measuring System yield point, degree Brix, acidity), at the post-harvest ripe stage. Position influenced the rate of maturation. Fruits at the bottom of the tree matured earlier than those at the middle and top. There was also a variation in maturation rate between full coloured and less coloured, interior and exterior fruits, and small and large ones on the same bunch and on separate stalks. Post-harvest ripened bottom apples had a poor colour but good eating quality, whereas top fruits had a better colour and poorer aroma and taste. For better storage and organoleptic quality it is desirable to harvest apples from the bottom half of the tree earlier than from the top with a gap of 7-10 days between harvests. degree Brix was 11.5-13.46 in Royal Delicious cv. from the various locations on the tree; acidity 0.35-0.40% (as malic acid).

The design of a prototype apple harvester

Previous methods of harvesting apples mechanically are reviewed briefly. A novel method of removing apples by a combing technique is then discussed. The design of a prototype harvester capable of harvesting dessert quality fruit continuously from hedgerow type trees, utilizing this combing technique, is described in detail.

Labor Productivity in Apple Harvesting

AbstractSelected worker characteristics and grower management practices were analyzed by OLS regression to determine their relationship to the productivity of workers hand harvesting apples. Growers should be able to shorten harvest time by selecting workers with characteristics related to higher productivity and by using management practices associated with faster picking.