Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context
This study reports some preliminary results on mechanical blueberry harvesting for the fresh market of cv. Cargo<sup>®</sup> in the Piedmont region (northwest Italy). The investigated area is one of the most productive areas of Italy, which specializes in fresh blueberry production. The...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Agriculture |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/12/1197 |
| _version_ | 1797507084228493312 |
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| author | Luca Brondino Danielle Borra Nicole Roberta Giuggioli Stefano Massaglia |
| author_facet | Luca Brondino Danielle Borra Nicole Roberta Giuggioli Stefano Massaglia |
| author_sort | Luca Brondino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study reports some preliminary results on mechanical blueberry harvesting for the fresh market of cv. Cargo<sup>®</sup> in the Piedmont region (northwest Italy). The investigated area is one of the most productive areas of Italy, which specializes in fresh blueberry production. The automatization of harvesting operations could represent a competitive advantage for the area’s blueberry supply chain but could limit the quality of fresh-picked berries. A prototype machine and a commercial harvester (Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup>) were compared with manual picking, considering the harvesting efficiency, labor productivity, harvesting cost and farm rentability. In this context, the labor cost for manual harvesting exceeds EUR 2.00 per kg of saleable product. The prototype allowed a 39% cost reduction, and the Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup> reduced it by about half. Nevertheless, these positive performances do not consider the reduction in the net sale price of EUR 0.40 due to the selection costs in the warehouse. In this study, we highlight that the transition to mechanical harvesting requires the transformation of several farming and packhouse operations, such as new crop varieties, field configurations and cultivation techniques. However, a possible technical improvement of the Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup> could represent an opportunity for Italian farms in the planning of berry production and marketing, involving all of the supply chain actors. Further research on the use of mechanization in the sector must continue and be supported. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:41:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-834f4267a7e64921b573fdda059cc66f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T04:41:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj.art-834f4267a7e64921b573fdda059cc66f2023-11-23T03:18:48ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722021-11-011112119710.3390/agriculture11121197Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian ContextLuca Brondino0Danielle Borra1Nicole Roberta Giuggioli2Stefano Massaglia3Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, 10095 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, 10095 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, 10095 Torino, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), University of Torino, 10095 Torino, ItalyThis study reports some preliminary results on mechanical blueberry harvesting for the fresh market of cv. Cargo<sup>®</sup> in the Piedmont region (northwest Italy). The investigated area is one of the most productive areas of Italy, which specializes in fresh blueberry production. The automatization of harvesting operations could represent a competitive advantage for the area’s blueberry supply chain but could limit the quality of fresh-picked berries. A prototype machine and a commercial harvester (Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup>) were compared with manual picking, considering the harvesting efficiency, labor productivity, harvesting cost and farm rentability. In this context, the labor cost for manual harvesting exceeds EUR 2.00 per kg of saleable product. The prototype allowed a 39% cost reduction, and the Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup> reduced it by about half. Nevertheless, these positive performances do not consider the reduction in the net sale price of EUR 0.40 due to the selection costs in the warehouse. In this study, we highlight that the transition to mechanical harvesting requires the transformation of several farming and packhouse operations, such as new crop varieties, field configurations and cultivation techniques. However, a possible technical improvement of the Easy Harvester<sup>®</sup> could represent an opportunity for Italian farms in the planning of berry production and marketing, involving all of the supply chain actors. Further research on the use of mechanization in the sector must continue and be supported.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/12/1197<i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i>innovationharvestproductioncostprototype |
| spellingShingle | Luca Brondino Danielle Borra Nicole Roberta Giuggioli Stefano Massaglia Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context Agriculture <i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> innovation harvest production cost prototype |
| title | Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context |
| title_full | Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context |
| title_fullStr | Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context |
| title_short | Mechanized Blueberry Harvesting: Preliminary Results in the Italian Context |
| title_sort | mechanized blueberry harvesting preliminary results in the italian context |
| topic | <i>Vaccinium corymbosum</i> innovation harvest production cost prototype |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/12/1197 |
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