De-Handing Technologies for Banana Postharvest Operations—Updates and Challenges

Jie Guo, Jieli Duan (), Zhou Yang and Manoj Karkee
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Jie Guo: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Jieli Duan: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Zhou Yang: College of Engineering, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Manoj Karkee: The Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems, Washington State University, Prosser, WA 99350, USA

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 11, 1-21

Abstract: Many aspects of the agricultural industry such a field crop planting and harvesting and chemical application in fruit crops have been employing mechanization and automation solutions for decades. However, the de-handing operation in banana postharvest operations is usually performed manually. Mechanical or automated de-handing is a potential long-term solution to address labor shortages and the associated high costs. Bananas are mainly grown in developing countries located in tropical and subtropical regions, where the development of agricultural mechanization and automation solutions started only recently and is progressing relatively slowly. In addition, large-scale banana orchards are mainly distributed in hilly and mountainous areas, though there are also some small-scale banana plantations in plain areas. The complex environment of banana orchards and the aging farming population are other important factors that make it difficult to realize mechanized operation of banana de-handing. In recent years, researchers have proposed advanced techniques that may facilitate the development of mechanical de-handing systems. However, the successful adoption of mechanical de-handing technology still faces many challenges. This paper systematically reviews the existing research on de-handing technologies and component mechanisms. A comprehensive evaluation is carried out from the perspectives of feasibility of the mechanism design, stability of the model simulation and reliability of the prototype systems developed. The future challenges and opportunities for designing and practically adopting mechanical de-handing equipment are also summarized and discussed.

Keywords: banana postharvest operations; de-handing; eye-hand synergy; mechanical solution; operating cost; orchard crops (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: 2022
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