Field Capacity and Harvest Efficiency Evaluation of Traditional Small Box and Semi-Automated Bin Handling Systems for Wild Blueberries

Ahmad H. Khan, Emmanuel Yiridoe, Travis J. Esau, Aitazaz A. Farooque, Qamar U. Zaman, Prosper J. Koto and Craig B. MacEachern
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Ahmad H. Khan: Department of Business and Social Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Travis J. Esau: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Aitazaz A. Farooque: Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Qamar U. Zaman: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada
Prosper J. Koto: Research Methods Unit, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, NS B3H 2E2, Canada
Craig B. MacEachern: Department of Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS B2N 5E3, Canada

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: Mechanical harvesters with small box and semi-automated bin handling systems are increasingly being used for harvesting wild blueberries in Eastern Canada, and Northeastern, USA. However, their field capacity and performance have not been quantified and compared. Important measures of field capacity and efficiency for a traditional mechanical harvester were compared with a novel semi-automatic bin handling harvester. Data were obtained from on-farm field trials conducted at four sites in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2017 and 2018. Both harvesters had double head configurations, along with other similar engineering configurations: (i) 0.66 m picking reels; (ii) 16 picker bars per head and 65 teeth per bar; (iii) 1.72 m picking width; (iv) 21 rpm head speed; and (v) 0.31 ms ?1 ground speed. Each harvester was operated for 120 min and data such as berry harvesting time and box handling time were recorded, with six replications during each year. Statistical methods were used to compare the harvest efficiency of the two mechanical harvesters. Harvest time efficiency was significantly higher for the semi-automatic bin handling technology than for the small box handling technology both in 2017 ( p < 0.001), and 2018 ( p < 0.001). Weed coverage did not have a significant effect of harvest time in either 2017 ( p = 0.694) or 2018 ( p = 0.765), though it did significantly affect yield in both 2017 ( p = 0.011) and 2018 ( p = 0.045). The findings provide useful insights for decision-makers contemplating the choice of harvesting technology to sustain profits from wild blueberry production.

Keywords: automation; efficiency; field capacity; mechanical harvester; mechanization; wild blueberry (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: 2021
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