Author : Karen Esau
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (134 download)
Book Synopsis EFFECTIVE DEBRIS REMOVAL METHODS FOR MECHANICAL WILD BLUEBERRY HARVESTER. by : Karen Esau
Download or read book EFFECTIVE DEBRIS REMOVAL METHODS FOR MECHANICAL WILD BLUEBERRY HARVESTER. written by Karen Esau and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commercial management of wild blueberry fields is improving, and plant density/ leaf foliage have increased. Select weed and grass species have developed resistance to commonly applied herbicides and thrive in wild blueberry fields despite the continuous control efforts. As a result, increased amounts of debris have been collected during harvesting and berry processing facilities are suggesting that producers reduce the excess amounts to decrease shrink and increase fruit quality. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the existing debris removal system on the commercial mechanical wild blueberry harvester and make improvements for optimization while increasing harvesting efficiency and berry quality. The existing single blower fan system was replaced with a new dual fan system increasing air flow and effective debris cleaning capabilities. An apparatus to measure terminal velocity of blueberries and common weed and grass species was developed and tested to measure optimum air velocities for effective debris removal. Wild blueberries were found to have a significantly higher terminal velocity (15.65 m/s) as compared to common debris samples (