A comparative study of olive removal techniques and their effects on harvest productivity

Author: Z. Yousefi ^1*, M. Almassi ¹, A. A. Zeinanloo ², R. Moghadasi ³ and M.B. Khorshidi ⁴

Received 19 October 2009, accepted 30 December 2009.

Abstract

Almost all olive produced in Iran is harvested using hand labor. The main problem in this case is high cost and shortage of laborers. The cost of operation can be reduced and harvest carried out on time if the operation is mechanized using appropriate machines and methods. In year 2009 an experiment was conducted in order to study the effects of mechanized harvesting and use of abscission agent on productivity of labor and overall operation. The study was carried out at Tarum Olive Research Station in Zanjan province of Iran. A randomized complete block design experiment was used with two factor of olive cultivar as a1 Zard and a2 Koroneiki plus three methods of harvesting were, b1 pneumatic comb machine, b2 branch shaker (hand machine) and b3 hand harvesting (hand picking). In all three methods of harvesting Ethephon chemical was used as an abscission agent in three level concentration as c1 0, c2 2000 and c3 4000 ppm. The result revealed that harvesting methods and Ethephon dosage had significant effects on harvesting productivity at 0.01 level. This effect was more pronounced for Zard cultivar than for Koroneiki. The mechanized method of harvesting greatly improved the timeliness of operation, and therefore also the productivity of the labor. The fruit detachment force (FDF) was significantly affected by cultivar and abscission agent concentration at 0.01 level.

Key words: Olive cultivar, pneumatic combs, branch shaker, harvest productivity, Ethephon.