Citrus Mechanical Harvesting
Between 1995 and 2012, the Florida citrus industry, through the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), invested between $1 million and $2 million annually in developing commercially viable mechanical harvesting systems. Two interrelated reasons were responsible for the interest in mechanical harvesting systems. First, there was an ongoing concern about the availability of workers to hand-harvest the crop. Labor shortages became an increasingly significant problem for the Florida citrus industry. A second and more important reason was that mechanical harvesting systems had the potential to significantly reduce overall harvesting costs compared to hand-harvest crews . As a result of these efforts, three mechanical systems gained a commercial foothold in the Florida citrus harvesting sector.
Scientists at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), have been conducting research on citrus mechanical harvesting systems since the early 1960s. Between 1995 and 2012, UF/IFAS scientists also focused on abscission management, tree health, and the economic viability of commercial systems. As part of the 2005-2006 legislative session, the state of Florida allocated $2 million for “Emerging Citrus Industry Technologies” to, in large part, further the research and educational efforts into mechanical harvesting.
In these archives, you will find information on citrus mechanical harvesting, highlighting work done between 1995 and 2012. A resource where growers, harvesting contractors, processors, and other industry stakeholders can access research materials and acquire basic information on harvesting systems. The goals of the UF/IFAS Citrus Mechanical Harvesting Program were:
- Improvements: Enhance the performance of mechanical systems to achieve significant reductions in harvesting costs.
- Innovations: Work with researchers, inventors, and equipment manufacturers to develop new harvesting technologies.
- Information: Address the grower and processor questions concerning mechanical harvesting
