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Selective
Machine Harvester
by
Trent Ball*
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In
October 2002, a selective asparagus machine harvester was analyzed.
The selective harvester was developed in the 1980’s, but market
conditions were not permissive for introduction, as labor at that
time was inexpensive. With producers now experiencing high wage rates,
more interest is in mechanical harvesting. Consequently, the selective
harvester was reinstated, with brief trials done in the spring of
2002 in California. |
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Each
picture below is linked to a larger image.  |
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Just
click picture to view other image.
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The
selective harvester is powered by a diesel engine; in addition, it
contains an air compressor for the pneumatic cutting blades, both
of which are located at the back of the machine. The harvester consists
of a header cutting system in the front, along with belts that carry
cut product to the rear of the machine. The cutting system uses eight
knives to cover the span of a row. A sensor system is used to detect
the height of individual spears. Similar to the cutting system, eight
sensors are used to monitor a full asparagus row width. When the sensor’s
are tripped, the high-speed pneumatic knives are activated and cut
the spear. The cut spears are picked up by rollers in the front that
grab all spears above approximately a six-inch height. The soft rollers
release the spear if it is not cut by the knives. |
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A
tentative agreement has been established to have the selective harvester
running in Washington sometime during the 2003 harvest season. The
purpose of running the harvester is to establish the efficiency and
feasibility of application for Washington asparagus producers. The
selective harvester will use only one header for the harvesting trials.
However, the machine has the capabilities to have a three-row cutting
system. |
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*Trent
Ball is an Associate in Research, working with Dr.
Ray Folwell, on the asparagus project. He recently, October
2002,
traveled to Stockton, California to study the Selective Machine Harvester
and its affects on the asparagus industry. |
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