Analysis of the Almond Harvesting and Hulling Mechanization Process: A Case Study

Simone Pascuzzi and Francesco Santoro
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Simone Pascuzzi: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science (DiSAAT), University of Bari Aldo Moro, via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Francesco Santoro: Department of Agricultural and Environmental Science (DiSAAT), University of Bari Aldo Moro, via Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy

Agriculture, 2017, vol. 7, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: The aim of this paper is the analysis of the almond harvesting system with a very high level of mechanization frequently used in Apulia for the almond harvesting and hulling process. Several tests were carried out to assess the technical aspects related to the machinery and to the mechanized harvesting system used itself, highlighting their usefulness, limits, and compatibility within the almond cultivation sector. Almonds were very easily separated from the tree, and this circumstance considerably improved the mechanical harvesting operation efficiency even if the total time was mainly affected by the time required to manoeuvre the machine and by the following manual tree beating. The mechanical pick-up from the ground was not effective, with only 30% of the dropped almond collected, which mainly was caused by both the pick-up reel of the machine being unable to approach the almonds dropped near the base of the trunk and the surface condition of the soil being unsuitably arranged for a mechanized pick-up operation. The work times concerning the hulling and screening processes, carried out at the farm, were heavily affected by several manual operations before, during, and after the executed process; nevertheless, the plant work capability varied from 170 to 200 kg/h with two operators.

Keywords: almond harvest chain; hulling process; manpower employment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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