Tree Shaking Research Articles

EVALUATION OF MANUAL FRUIT HARVESTERS AND STORABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF HARVESTED SWEET ORANGE UNDER ORDINARY ROOM STORAGE CONDITION

Harvesting is considered as one of the crucial and critical activities in fruit production, handling and storage and market cycle. Traditional harvesting and post-harvest technique are responsible for deteriorating the fruit quality and shortening the postharvest shelf-life. Hand-picking by climbing tree, tree shaking and stick biting are most common practices for majority of the fruit orchards in Nepal that is risky, labour and time-intensive practices as well as affects market quality and nutritive value of the fruits. Therefore, there is a need for simple manual fruit harvesting tools suitable for smallholder farmers to replace the manual picking of citrus. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the performance of different available models of manual fruit harvester along with the evaluation of post-harvest quality (physiological loss of weight, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, acidity and rot incidence) and shelf-life assessment of those harvested fruits during storage under ordinary room condition for 26 days. Nine harvesting treatments were investigated as follows: a) Farmer practice-hand-picking (FPground), b) Farmer practice tree climbing (FPclimb), c) Hand-shaking of the tree branch (TS), d) Secateurs (SEground), e) Secateur + tree climb (SEClimb), f) Pole mounted cut and hold type picking shears (CH), g) Telescopic Long reach fruit picker (LRF), h) Fruit picker harvester with basket and cushion (PHB), i) Metal fruit picker with cotton bag (PC). The harvesting capacity of FPground, FPclimb, SEground, SEClimb, LRF, CH, PHB, PC and TS methods were 98.4±5.84, 57.52±12.43, 94.7±38.14, 49.05±5.73, 79.14±6.15, 75.08±12.44, 49.88±17.48, 52.27±11.47 and 63.12±22.27 kg/hr, respectively.. The harvesting output of CH and LRF type harvester was 29.03 (591 nos/hr) and 15.93% (531 nos/hr) higher than FPclimb practice (458 nos/hr) and that of PHB and PC method was 20.96 (362 nos/hr) and 6.11% (430 nos/hr) lower than FPclimb. Regarding storability characteristics, shelf-life was found better in SEground, SEClimb, CH, LRF than TS and FP practices.SE and CH method found effective in prolonging the average shelf-life and maintaining the quality of sweet orange compared to TS and FP. The button or calyx on the harvested fruit in SE, CH and LRF method help to control and delay the sap oozing, physiological loss of weight and lateral infection that maintain fruit firmness, prolong the shelf-life and minimize the fruit damage and rot incidence during ordinary storage. Based on our findings, hand-held secateur, cut and hold type harvester and long reach fruit picker (twist and turn) are recommended as appropriate harvesting tools for sweet orange fruit picking.

Reappraisal of the 1863 Huércal-Overa Earthquake (Betic Cordillera, SE Spain) by the Analysis of ESI-07 Environmental Effects and Building Oriented Damage

This work reviews the 1863 Huércal-Overa earthquake (VI-VII EMS) based on the environmental seismic intensity scale (ESI-07) and oriented archaeoseismological building damage. The performed analysis identifies 23 environmental effects (EEEs) and 11 archaeoseismological effects (EAEs), completing a total of 34 intensity data-points within the intensity zone ≥ VI EMS. The new ESI intensity data quintuplicate the previous intensity data-points ≥ VI EMS (five localities) for this event. Sixteen of the identified EEEs indicate the occurrence of intensity VII-VIII within the Almanzora valley, south of Huércal-Overa, over an area of ca. 12–15 km2. Anomalies in water bodies, slope movements, hydrogeological anomalies, ground cracking, and other effects (gas emissions, tree shaking) are the more diagnostic EEEs—with one of them indicating a local maximum intensity of VIII-IX ESI-07 (Alboraija lake). Environmental earthquake damage of intensity ≥ VI covers an area of c. 100 km2, compatible with a VIII ESI intensity event. The spatial distribution of EEEs and EAEs indicates that the zone of Almanzora River Gorge, which was depopulated during the earthquake epoch, was the epicentral area, and compatible with seismotectonic data from active shallow blind thrusting beneath the Almagro Range. The use of ESI data in nearly unpopulated areas help to fill gaps between damaged localities (EMS data) multiplying intensity data-points, providing a better definition of the intensity zones and offering a geological basis to look for suspect seismic sources.

BRICS civil society initiatives: towards the inclusion of affected communities in collective development?

ABSTRACTIn this paper we examine the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) bloc's stated commitment to collective, inclusive development through the creation of the civil society participatory mechanism Civil BRICS. This state-created civil society platform within the bloc purports to shape BRICS policies in favour of the poor. We argue that after a decade of BRICS co-operation, it should be possible to observe policy shifts towards 'çollective' solutions to address endemic socio-economic inequalities in BRICS. Sketched against a backdrop of the realities of BRICS' exploitative bilateral trade and investment flows, we examine the scaling up of affected communities' social justice claims to Summit level. In 2018, for the first time, International Non-Governmental (INGOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) initiated a process of BRICS civil society engagement that is unique in the direct representation of affected communities. According to the INGOS and NGOs involved, this direct upscaling of activist and social movement representation strengthens and legitimises policy recommendations to the BRICS Summit. Our analysis shows that, to the contrary, affected communities' inclusion in annual BRICS development dialogues allows for minimal effective input. Activism inside and outside of co-opted participatory spaces (referred to as jam making versus tree shaking) are discussed in terms of strategic effectiveness.

Mechanical harvest: a realistic challenge for the processed apricot market?

ILLIAD is a French national project in which food-chain sustainability is being evaluated on four products (wheat, rice, peach and apricot). For apricot, two difficulties for French production have been identified: i) the high cost of manpower in this culture and ii) fruit processors' dependence on surplus fruits from fresh consumption. This leads to very high variability in supply, price and quality from year to year. In this context, one solution might be dedicated orchards for processing industries. At first, cultivars well adapted to processing and with a low demand for inputs were screened for their behavior in mechanical harvest. Mechanical harvest was carried out using tree shaking (at 40 cm from the ground) and collection on a fabric screen. Results obtained over 2 years on more than 15 cultivars and in two production areas are presented. The low mechanical damage observed just after harvesting or after 7 days of storage for a few cultivars and the possibility of optimizing shaking parameters according to agronomic and physiologic criteria (fruit falling, maturity heterogeneity, etc.) confirm the suitability of mechanical harvesting and the opportunity to create dedicated orchards.

Simulation study of vibratory harvesting of Chinese winter jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill. cv. Dongzao)

Chinese winter jujube is rich in nutrition, but its harvesting is labor-intensive. A feasible method for mechanical harvesting of Chinese winter jujube is vibration harvesting. Currently, harvesting shakers for jujube were designed and optimized mainly based on imperial method through field experiments which are complex, time-consuming and limited by time and environment. In order to improve the rationality in shaker design, a better understanding of the interaction between the shaker and the tree is necessary. The aim of this study was to develop a simulation framework for predicting the responses of trees under vibration excitation with a shaker using finite element methods, and find relationships between the responses and the excitation frequencies. Field experiments were conducted using a shaker at five frequencies (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25Hz) with three replicated trees. The input force was measured by a tension sensor and the acceleration of trees was measured by tri-axial acceleration transducers. The trees were modeled using Autodesk Inventor 2014 and then simulated by finite element method in ANSYS 15.0. In simulation, the tree model was divided to two parts, including branches and trunk. For both parts, the wood’s mechanical properties were determined experimentally. Results show that the acceleration value of experiment is generally larger than that of simulation, and it increases from the bottom of branch to the top. The acceleration curves in both experimental and simulation conditions and the distribution nephograms indicated that the greater frequency of tree shaking generates greater acceleration. The mean correlation coefficients of acceleration between experiment and simulation is 0.62. The average resultant accelerations of measured and simulated showed a good alignment in changing trends. It can be concluded that the simulation is promising for studying the response of trees under the vibration excitation of the shaker.

LOSS OF KERNEL QUALITY ASSOCIATED WITH HARVEST DELAYS IN TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA

Knowledge of factors that adversely affect the quality of walnuts grown in Tasmania, Australia, is limited. Experiments over two years investigated the temporal development of fruit maturity and the effect of harvest delays on kernel quality. The progression of kernel maturity, or packing tissue brown (PTB), was similar in ‘Lara’ and ‘Vina’, with 95% PTB predicted between 77 and 87 days after January 1. The onset of harvest, defined as 80% hullable fruits, was similar for the two cultivars, occurring within 5-days of each other. Delaying harvest beyond 95% PTB reduced kernel quality in both years. In 2009-10, delaying harvest significantly reduced the percentage of extra-light kernels for ‘Vina’, ‘Howard’ and ‘Chandler’ i.e., for ‘Chandler’, from 77% extra-light with no harvest delay compared to 63% a 7-day harvest delay. Delaying harvest by 7 days significantly increased the percent of kernels with yellow pellicle i.e., from less than 6% yellow pellicle with no delay to 24, 28 and 51% of ‘Howard’, ‘Vina’ and ‘Chandler’ nuts, respectively, with a 7-day harvest delay. Similarly, in 2011-12 ‘Lara’ and ‘Chandler’ nuts harvested 8 days or more after tree shaking had fewer extra-light kernels, and more yellow pellicle and mould, compared to nuts harvested earlier. Additional research will identify seasonal variations and improve the initial description of fruit maturity and factors affecting kernel quality.

Regulated deficit irrigation effects on yield, nut quality and water-use efficiency of mature pistachio trees

SummaryRegulated deficit irrigation (RDI) was evaluated on deep rooted, mature pistachio trees grown under high evaporative demand in the low rainfall southern San Joaquin Valley of California. The focus of this work was to assess the impact of deficit irrigation during various parts of the season with the goal of determining which period was most stress tolerant in terms of nut production. Pistachio nuts have a unique fruit growth pattern in which rapid kernel growth does not begin until about six weeks after full shell size has been attained. Our hypothesis was that irrigation could be reduced during this period with limited negative effects on production. The season was divided into three preharvest periods: leafout to full shell expansion (Stage 1), full shell expansion to the onset of rapid kernel growth (Stage 2), and rapid kernel growth to harvest (Stage 3). Water deprivation during Stage 1 applied 7.2% less water than the near-fully irrigated Control without any yield loss, based on mean values for the last “on” and “off” alternate bearing years of this study. Shell splitting (endocarp dehiscence) at harvest (a positive impact) was significantly higher (10.4% relative to the Control) but this was offset by a nut weight reduced by 9.4%. Stage 3 water deprivation (53% less applied water than the Control) significantly reduced nut size, shell splitting, mechanical nut removal by tree shaking, and yield, while increasing kernel blanking and abortion. Postharvest water deprivation (5.0% less applied water than the Control) had no significant negative effects on yield components. Six irrigation regimes that applied water at various rates were used to investigate Stage 2 behaviour. While there were no significant differences in yield components among these regimes, the best production occurred with deficit irrigation during Stage 2 at 50% of near-potential ETc during Stage 2 and 25% of near-potential ETc after harvest. This RDI regime saved about 180 mm of water (23.2% of the Control) and water use efficiency was significantly higher (4.69 versus 3.61 kg marketable fruit per mm water, for this RDI regime and the Control, respectively). We believe RDI during Stage 2 and postharvest is a viable irrigation strategy to save water while maintaining top yields of high quality pistachio nuts. Further work is needed to determine if the improved shell splitting harvest that occurred with Stage 1 stress can be exploited to improve grower profits.

Ethephon promotion of crop abscission for unshaken and mechanically shaken macadamia

Promotion of fruit abscission in macadamia, Macadamia integrifolia (Proteaceae), has potential to reduce costs associated with prolonged harvesting of late-abscising cultivars. Effects of ethephon [(2-chloroethyl)phosphonic acid] on fruit removal force and crop abscission were monitored at 3 stages of the harvest season on both unshaken and mechanically shaken trees of the late-abscising macadamia cultivar A16. Ethephon application, tree shaking, or a combination of the 2 methods, accelerated crop removal from the tree at all stages during harvest. Early harvest before natural abscission resulted in little or no difference in nut-in-shell and kernel weight, kernel recovery and kernel oil content. Delaying ethephon application or tree shaking until commencement of natural abscission resulted in greater crop removal. Fruit removal force declined naturally towards 1 kgf at this stage, and was further reduced by ethephon application. The most effective approach for harvest acceleration was to reduce fruit removal force, before tree shaking, by spraying trees with ethephon.

Effects of preharvest irrigation cutoff durations and postharvest water deprivation on almond tree performance

Plant water relations, tree growth, and yield components of mature almond trees [Prunus dulcis (Mill.) Webb cv. Nonpareil] were evaluated in response to ranges of irrigation cutoff durations immediately prior to harvest and to postharvest water deprivation. The preharvest cutoff regimes consisted of eight treatments that terminated irrigation from 8 to 57 days prior to tree shaking, resulting in 297 mm less preharvest-applied water for the longest cutoff regime. Postharvest irrigation totaled 206 mm. Predawn leaf water potential (LWP) declined rapidly after irrigation cutoff and reached −4.0 MPa prior to harvest in the most severe preharvest treatment. This resulted in reduced tree growth and near complete canopy defoliation. Individual kernel weight and full hull splitting were reduced by up to 17.2% and 71.1%, respectively, by the preharvest cutoff regimes, while bark damage due to mechanical shaking and fruit removal was unaffected. Hull rot at harvest was virtually eliminated with the longer preharvest cutoff durations. Depriving trees of postharvest irrigation had a greater impact on tree productivity than the preharvest irrigation cutoffs, even though the amount of postharvest-deprived water was less than that which occurred with the more severe preharvest cutoffs. In the season following postharvest water deprivation, bloom density and fruit set were reduced by up to 52.2% and 94.3%, respectively. This resulted in fruit load and kernel yield reductions of up to 76.7% and 73.6%, respectively. Even with the latest preharvest cutoff regime, fruit load and kernel yield were significantly lower without postharvest irrigation. We postulate that the sensitivity to postharvest water deficits is due to the late reproductive bud differentiation of almond, which may damage primordial flower parts and/or accelerate the emergence of the stamens during bloom, thus decreasing their pollen receptivity. Since postharvest water deficits are more damaging to sustained productivity than water deficits prior to harvest, growers with limited water supplies should bias irrigation towards the postharvest period.

Conifer Cone Harvesting: An Experimental Approach

ABSTRACT THE objective of this study is to quantify various para-meters affecting the vibratory removal of the conifore cones. The three conifer species used in this experiment were (a) Ponderosa Pine, (b) Douglas Fir and (c) Western White Pine. The initial test was to determine pull and torsional forces required for cone detachment. The effects of various factors such as amplitude, direc-tion, duration and repetitions of vibration on cone removal and damage to the tree were studied. In order to isolate these factors, individual limbs from each of the three species were cut and vibrated by a laboratory shaker. The resulting data indicate the constraints pro-vided by the tree and the best approach to use in attemp-ting to harvest the cones by whole tree shaking.

Effects of Tree Shaking, Ethephon and Rootstocks on Fruit Removal, Abscission and Shelf-Life of Citrus Species

SummaryA trunk-shaker harvester was tested on three citrus species on a range of root-stocks. Ethephon at 7.7 g ai/tree was sprayed one week prior to harvest. Fruit removal was highest from grapefruit, lowest from lemons and intermediate but equal from Navel and Valencia orange trees. Ethephon increased fruit removal but its effect was influenced by rootstock and tree size. The majority of the fruit abscised without buttons in grapefruit and Navel orange, with buttons in Valencia orange and with stems in lemons. The force required to detach fruit was lowest five days after treatment with ethephon but depended on species, cultivar and rootstock. Most fruits were removed after shaking for 10 s without significant damage from falling to the ground although up to 12% wastage had developed after two weeks’ storage at room temperature.

Computer Analysis of Fruit Detachment During Tree Shaking

Computer Analysis of Fruit Detachment During Tree Shaking