Search results for "mechanical harvest"
showing 10 items of 13 documents
Toward the valorization of olive (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) biodiversity: horticultural performance of seven Sicilian cultivars in a hedgerow p…
2019
Abstract An intense survey of the Sicilian’s olive growing areas for autochthonous germplasm, mainly represented by centennials olive trees (Olea europaea var. europaea L.) apparently older then III centuries, started at the beginning of the 1980s and resulted in the selection of more than 150 cultivars and accessions. This germplasm was propagated in a nursery, by grafting onto seedlings of Olea europaea L., and planted in an experimental orchard, in an olive district located in the South-west of the Island, where they were evaluated for over 30 years and selected for their early bearing, high and constant productivity, as well as high oil content of the fruits and excellent chemical (olei…
Vibration Monitoring of the Mechanical Harvesting of Citrus to Improve Fruit Detachment Efficiency
2019
The introduction of a mechanical harvesting process for oranges can contribute to enhancing farm profitability and reducing labour dependency. The objective of this work is to determine the spread of the vibration in citrus tree canopies to establish recommendations to reach high values of fruit detachment efficiency and eliminate the need for subsequent hand-harvesting processes. Field tests were carried out with a lateral tractor-drawn canopy shaker on four commercial plots of sweet oranges. Canopy vibration during the harvesting process was measured with a set of triaxial accelerometer sensors with a datalogger placed on 90 bearing branches. Monitoring of the vibration process, fruit pro…
The sustainability of olive orchard planting management for different harvesting techniques: An integrated methodology
2019
Abstract The globalization of the olive oil market has caused greater competitiveness in terms of olive oil quality and production costs and the main countries interested in olive growing, have introduced efficient planting design and horticultural techniques in order to meet these requirements. In this paper the sustainability of olive orchard planting management for different olive fruit-harvesting methods has been assessed on the basis of the data gathered by the Geographic Information System and processed using a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Analysis. In particular, three different agronomic scenarios have been analyzed and a specific cultivar has been considered in order to ensure th…
Optimising the efficiency of olive harvesting considering operator safety
2019
Mechanical-assisted harvesting of olives, which is carried out using hand-held harvesting units that detach the drupes through vibration supplied by electric motor or combustion engines, is a widespread method used in southern Italy. Such machines are able to harvest more than 80% of the overall quantity of olives available per tree in 5–10 min, but their performance is influenced by several factors related to the mechanical characteristics of the device and to the features of the trees. Here the problem of optimising harvesting efficiency whilst minimising the health risks to the operators is investigated, with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible to determine an optimum harvesting…
Assessment of the pedicel detaching and crashing forces of grape berries to determine the right mechanical harvesting period
2007
During the mechanical harvesting the shakers cause the detachment of the grape berries from the grape stalk but also the breaking of the grape berries peel with the consequent production of must that influences the quality of the harvested grapes. This one is higher in the varieties having grape berries more resistant to the crushing and, at the same time, an easier detachment of the pedicel. The aim of this work is to evaluate, for three different varieties of grape (Chardonnay, Catarratto comune and Nero d’Avola), the crushing strength of the berry, that represents the cause of the production of must during the mechanical harvesting, and the resistance of the berry-pedicel system that inf…
Effect of the mechanical harvest of drupes on the quality characteristics of green fermented table olives
2015
Background: Because of damage caused by mechanical harvesting, the drupes for table olive production are traditionally hand harvested. Until now, no data have been available on the microbiological and chemical features of mechanically harvested drupes during fermentation. Results: Drupes mechanically harvested and inoculated with Lactobacillus pentosus OM13 were characterized by the lowest concentrations of potential spoilage microorganisms. On the other hand, drupes mechanically harvested and subjected to spontaneous fermentation showed the highest concentration of Enterobacteriaceae and pseudomonads during transformation. The lowest decrease of pH (4.20) was registered for the trials inoc…
Growth, Phenology, Production and Oil quality of the Cultivar Arbequina in high-density hedgerow in four different areas of Italy
2012
The success of the traditional olive-growing sector in EU countries – characterised by high production costs and a low selling price for the oil – was mainly determined by EU subsidies available for the sector. With the opening of the "free trade" area and a cut in subsidies in 2014, crucial changes in the sector are now needed. In order to increase the competitiveness of EU olive production, attention should be given to new high-yielding, mechanized cultivation systems. In the 90s, Spain introduced new high-density planting systems (1,200-2,000 plants/ha) using three low-vigour and early-fruiting cultivars (‘Arbequina’, ‘Arbosana’ and ‘Koroneiki’). Italian olive production lies in a geogra…
Response of Origanum vulgare L. to different plant densities and first results of mechanical harvest
2003
Tests for evaluating the agronomical response of Origanum to four plant densities were carried out from 1998 to 2001, on a local biotype of Origanum collected at Monreale (Palermo), in an area having the typical soil and climatic conditions of the Sicilian environment. Data about plant biometric characteristics (height at different growth phases, number of branches per plant, fresh weight yield) and the proportions among inflorescences, leaves and stems were monitored. Moreover, essential oil analyses were carried out for each plant density. The results showed that the plant density influenced the yield but not the plant height. The best results were obtained in the second year, when the hi…
Growth and yields of 'Arbequina' high-density planting systems in three different olive growing areas in Italy
2014
The sustainability of the traditional olive-growing sector in EU countries characterised by high production costs and a low selling price for the oil was mainly determined by EU subsidies available for the sector. With the opening of the free trade area by the Barcellona Declaration of 1995 and a cut in EU subsidies in 2014, crucial changes in the sector are now needed. In order to increase the competitiveness of EU olive production, attention should be given to new high-yielding and mechanized cultivation systems. In the 1990s, Spain introduced new high-density planting systems (1,200-2,000 trees/ha) using three low-vigour and early-fruiting cultivars ( Arbequina , Arbosana and Koroneiki )…