Good Fruit Grower

November 2011

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Picker and sorter A new mobile harvesting system from Picker Technologies has the potential not just to speed up apple picking, but to enhance the value of the crop, the company says. The harvesting system, which includes onboard electronic quality sorting, has been more than three years in the making. Four models of the latest version were extensively tested and tweaked in the field this fall on apples and other fruits. Oxbo, which partnered with Picker Technologies to develop the system, is ready to build and sell the machine commercially. The companies are also exploring the potential for using the system to apply postharvest treatments, such as fungicides or quality enhancers, in the field when they would be the most effective. Worker productivity The system was designed to increase worker produc- tivity by eliminating the unproductive aspects of picking, which are walking to and from bins to deposit fruit and climbing up and down and moving ladders, said John Albert, Picker Technologies's vice president of business development. The self-propelled system has a small by Geraldine Warner elevated platform at each side on the front where two pickers can stand to pick fruit from the tops of the trees. The platforms can be moved up and down or in and out hydraulically to suit the tree canopy and crop load. Two more workers pick from the ground, walking in front of the machine as it crawls down the row. A worker on the platform can adjust the speed and direction as necessary. Each of the four pickers has a pneu- matic tube for apples. A small motor cre- ates a vacuum in the tubes, and the orifice of the tube is designed to form a seal as an apple is placed in it so that the pressure differential carries the apple along. The tubes have baffles inside every couple of inches to maintain movement of the fruit to the top of the platform without damage and without bumping each other. The apples are decelerated in a water tank before going into an electronic sorter. The company hopes that picker pro- Top: Miguel Geronimo found himself testing the new harvester during his first season as an apple picker. He previously worked in restaurants but was enjoying orchard work. Bottom: Picker Israel Ramirez drives the Picker Technologies harvester from one row to another. Randy Allard, Picker Tech's vice president of research and development, said Ramirez took to the machine immediately and was soon out operating it himself. www.goodfruit.com ductivity will be more than 45 apples per minute on the machine, versus 20 to 25 apples per minute when working with picking bags and ladders. And, because picking with the platform is less strenuous than ladder work, it should help expand the potential labor force, Albert said. In addition, quality control supervisors are not required in the field. (Continued on page 13) GOOD FRUIT GROWER NOVEMBER 2011 11 The PickerTech apple harvester removes culls in the field to minimize warehouse charges. geraldine warner geraldine warner Companies roll out harvesters

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