A study on the use of a mechanical shaker for harvesting orange trees

Abstract

Abstract In this study, a locally fabricated limb-shaking mechanical harvester prototype was developed and field tested to increase the efficiency of orange harvesting and reduce reliance on labor-intensive manual practices. The prototype was evaluated at a fixed vibration amplitude of 50 mm under different tractor PTO speeds (200–450 rpm; 3.33–7.5 Hz) and shaking durations (15–45 s). Fruit detachment efficiency increased significantly with increasing PTO speed and shaking time, whereas shorter shaking durations improved field productivity by allowing more trees to be harvested per hour. Intermediate operating conditions achieved detachment efficiencies comparable to those of the maximum treatment while requiring lower specific energy input. In particular, operation at 350 rpm for 30 s provided an optimal balance between fruit removal efficiency (81.4%), specific energy consumption, and harvesting throughput. These findings demonstrate that moderate PTO speeds and shaking durations can improve the energy efficiency of mechanical orange harvesting while maintaining high detachment performance, supporting more sustainable and cost-effective citrus production. Statistical analysis confirmed that both PTO speed and shaking duration significantly affected fruit detachment efficiency and harvesting productivity.