Operacional performance of mechanically harvested coffee and selectivity in accordance to force detachment of fruit

Abstract

In mechanized harvesting, one of the difficulties encountered by farmers is to determine the appropriate time to start harvesting, as well as vibration and determine the most appropriate operating speed for each cultivar during the harvest period. In general, the regulation of vibration and operating speed of the harvester has been made by producers in an empirical way, by trial, seeking greater operational performance. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of mechanical harvesting of eight progenies according to the traction force required for detachment of the fruit. The tests were conducted with three replications using a completely randomized design (CRD) within the same plot in random plots containing five plants. We tried to raise the strength of detachment from coffee fruits on the plant, according to the ripening of fruits, and graded to determine the strength, the green fruits and cherries. We also evaluated the efficiency of the harvest in the progenies analyzed over two years of harvest. It was concluded that there are significant differences between progenies in both the force of detachment as tothe efficiency of picking and that picking efficiency is directly related to the force of detachment of mature fruits on the plant.