EXPERIENCES IN PRE-PLANNING MANUAL AND MACHINE HARVESTING OF TOMATO AND CUCUMBER CROPS

Concentration of production and mechanization requires a more continuous supply of the processing industry.
The use of harvesters cannot be imagined without the most exact possible pre-planning of the ripening and harvesting process.

Numerous variations can be established in growing by combining different locations, growing methods, seeding and transplanting dates and varieties.
If optimal variations combined with suitable areas are found a continuous raw material supply of the processing industry can be guaranteed for a long period.

A linear-programming method was successfully adapted to determine the optimal growing programme.
The method enables us to take into consideration economical and local conditions as well.

Since 1969 we have programmes for the manual harvest of tomatoes and since 1972 for manual and machine harvest of both tomato and cucumber crops. "Active heat unit" was used to determine dates of ripening.
It proved useful enough in practice.

Profiting of experiences obtained, work is now going on to improve this method of pre-planning the ripening and harvest process.

II Symposium on Timing of the Fieldproduction of Vegetable Crops

F. Frigyesy

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1975.52.13