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LABOUR, MECHANIZATION EFFICIENCY IN STONE FRUIT HARVEST
In our study we have wanted to take clear circumstances for effective application of different harvesters.
Measures and calculations have been done on two machines of different output.
The mean factors of efficiency are:
- cost and hectar output of machine
- size of orchard/s/ and range of cultivars as factor of lenght of picking time, and as consequence of orchard factors:
- the working hours per year.
The range of cultivars in recently established orchards in ideal case takes possible 700–1000 hours a year.
In reality 500–700 working hours would be considered.
In that way a high productivity mashine can harvest almost 100–120 hectars, a medium productivity mashine 70–80 hectars a year.
The cost of harvest expressed in per hour cost strongly correllated to working hours per year, especially by high productivity mashines where amortization costs are high.
The importance of fruit yield is smaller.
If working hours per year are above 500, the mechanical harvest would be profitable even for light crop.
In up today circumstances when light crop and faible working hours of harvester meet the hand picking would be more profitable than mechanical harvest as higher prices of hand picked fruit considered.
The use of harvesters in our given conditions for stone fruits seems to be indispensable.
Their application in orchards of advantageous composition of cultivars and above a certain amount of crop would produce a profit increase compaired to hand picking.