MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF RED RASPBERRY, RUBUS IDAEUS L., IN WASHINGTON, U.S.A.

Mechanical harvesting of red raspberries on a commercial scale in Washington is a fairly recent development.
Machines were first developed for the harvest of blackberries, black raspberries and blueberries, but subsequent modifications have made them suitable for harvesting the softer and more perishable red raspberry.
Ramsay (1974) described three large, self-propelled mechanical harvesters adapted for red raspberry that were commercially successful in Oregon: Agricultural Sciences, Weygandt (Iron Wino) and Blueberry Equipment, Inc. (BEI). Waister (1974) discussed mechanical harvester performance in Oregon in relation to training methods, weather factors and cultivars.
Following the 1974 harvest season in Washington the success of BEI harvesters was evaluated by growers (Servoss, et al., 1975a) and by processors (Servoss, et al., 1975b). In 1975 eleven BEI harvesters were used to harvest red raspberries in Washington.
It is the experience of growers with these machines that will be discussed here.

Symposium on Breeding and Machine Harvesting of Rubus and Ribes

Bruce H. Barritt

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1976.60.2