Mechanical harvesting of ornamental citrus trees in Valencia, Spain

Abstract

Citrus trees are used as ornamental plants in several Spanish cities. They give a nice color to the streets and a nice scent in the flowering stage, but when the fruits fall, they dirty the roads and pavements, and can cause accidents; this is the reason why gardeners must detach and collect the fruits. This task is being done manually, but it is quite inefficient and expensive. In this study, three types of machines have been used to mechanize this task: a trunk shaker with umbrella, a trunk shaker hitched to an orchard tractor, and an experimental smaller sized shaker that can be attached to small and pedestrian tractors. The shaking patterns used by each equipment, detachment percentages, mobility constraints, and tree damage have been measured, and reduction costs have been estimated. After three years of study, the system has been fully accepted by both gardeners and citizens.