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Abstract
Ever since mechanical harvesting systems were introduced in the 1960s, growers expressed serious concerns over the potential negative impact mechanical harvesting could have on their trees. A study was undertaken in 2010 to analyze grower production data and compare whether mechanical harvesting had an adverse effect on fruit yield or shortened tree longevity as compared to hand harvesting. The purpose of this article is to describe how the study was organized and to summarize its results and conclusions. This 4-page fact sheet was written by Fritz M. Roka, Lisa H. House, and Katrina R. Mosley, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, May 2014.
References
Hedden, S.L., D.B. Churchill, and J.D. Whitney. 1988. Trunk shakers for citrus harvesting-part II: Tree growth, fruit yield and removal. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 4:102-106. https://doi.org/10.13031/2013.26589
Li, K-T., and J.P. Syvertsen. 2005. Mechanical harvesting has little effect on water status and leaf gas exchange in citrus trees. Journal of American Horticultural Sciences 130(5):661-666. https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS.130.5.661
Mosley, K.R., L.A. House, and F.M. Roka. 2012. Adoption of mechanical harvesting for sweet orange trees in Florida: Addressing grower concerns on long-term impacts. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 15(2):83-98.
Muraro, R. 2009. Southwest Florida summary budget costs, 2008-09. Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL. http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/economics/pdf/SW_Budget_Summ_2008-2009.pdf.
Roka, F.M., J.K. Burns, J.P. Syvertsen, T. Spann, and B.R. Hyman. 2009. Improving the economic viability of Florida citrus by mechanical harvesting with the abscission agent CMNP. http://citrusmh.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/db/abscission_white_paper_040609.pdf.
Whitney, J., D. Churchill, and S. Hedden. 1986. A five-year study of orange removal with trunk shakers. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 109:40-44.