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Asparagus
Research
Selective Harvester - 2003
Trent Ball*
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This
plugin is to a short film showing the mechanical grader machine in
action.
(Currently this can only be viewed in Internet Explorer
or Netscape 6.0 or above.) |
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Washington
State University conducted a 2-week trial on a selective machine harvester
during the asparagus harvest season. The purpose of the trial was
to evaluate the machine harvester for potential application in Washington
asparagus fields. Initial results suggest the machine has potential
as a commercial harvester. The selective harvester is a prototype
machine developed almost 20 years ago. Prior to running the trials,
some of the machines electronics and pneumatic cylinders were updated.
Although the machine has the capabilities to harvest three rows, for
the purpose of the study only one header was used. |
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The
selective harvester cut daily approximately 1-acre of asparagus during
the trial. Random 50-foot plots were set up in the field prior to
the machine cutting to identify the number of harvestable spears.
After harvesting, the plots were assessed for damage, dropped spears,
and harvested product; overall pounds harvested for the 1-acre trials
was also collected. Preliminary results indicate the machine did minimal
field damage and harvested 55-60% of the weight harvested by a hand
crew. The harvester generated as high as 77% useable number one spears
based on fresh market standards. |
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*Trent
Ball is an Associate in Research, working with Dr.
Ray Folwell, on the asparagus project. He recently, May
2003,
did trials in the Columbia Basin, Washington to study the Selective
Machine Harvester and its economic affects on the asparagus industry. |
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