Post harvest Management of Horticultural Crops (2+1)

Mechanical harvesting

Mechanical harvesting


In region where labour cost is high machine harvest is popular for processing crops because it could damage the produce and subsequent faster deterioration.
Eg.: Peas for freezing, peaches for canning and grapes for wine making.
Likewise machine harvest is used for robust, low-unit-value ground crop such as potatoes and onions. The main advantages of mechanized harvesting are speed and the reduced costs per ton harvested. However, because of the risk of mechanical damage, it can only be used on crops that require a single harvest.



i. Mechanical assistance


ii.Harvesting machine


it employ direct harvest by contact methods such as


• Shaking machine
• Picking pole fitted with cutter device – For fruits high on trees like mango, avocados
• The ‘shake and catch’ machine used in apple and citrus to harvest and collect the fruit by shaking the trunk and collection the fallen fruit on the canvas which spread under the tree.

• Use of vibrating digger is used harvest under ground roots/tuber/rhizomes.
• Use of robotics to harvest mushroom by method of sucker end-effecter.