MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF SWEET ORANGES FOR JUICE PROCESSING

Citrus growers in Florida are developing mechanical harvesting technology to order to increase harvest labor productivity and reduce harvesting costs.
Increasing concerns over employing foreign undocumented workers and reducing overall costs of production are the two primary reasons driving interest to develop new harvesting equipment and systems.
This poster outlines the current state of mechanical harvesting of sweet oranges for juice processing by answering the following questions:
1. What type of equipment is being, or considered to be, used for mechanical harvesting?
2. What percentage of the crop is being mechanically harvested today?
3. What drove, or is driving, the industry to consider (or adopt) changes in harvest technology?
4. What were, or are, the significant biological, economic and institutional obstacles that had, or have, to be overcome before mechanical harvesting was, or will be, successful?
5. What are the anticipated impacts to producing the crop?
6. What are some structural changes to the industry that may occur as growers adopt new harvesting technologies?

I International Symposium on Mechanical Harvesting and Handling Systems of Fruits and Nuts

F.M. Roka, B.R. Hyman

canopy shakers, catch frames, obstacles, trailer allocation, economics, labor, fruit recovery, debris

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2012.965.32