A COMPARISON OF HAND RAKING AND MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF LOWBUSH BLUEBERRIES

A mechanical harvester developed for lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) was demonstrated in a field trial to be potentially viable for machine harvest. On a well-managed, relatively weed-free field, four experienced hand rakers were able to harvest a larger percent of the fruit than the machine, but it took about eight times as long to do so. The quality of the berries, as measured by percent poor berries and amount of foreign material, was not significantly different between hand- and machine-gathered berries. On a field that contained a considerable native weed population, the hand rakers were able to extract a greater harvest with better berry quality. The potential of the harvester is discussed in relation to present trends in the industry.Key words: Lowbush blueberry, mechanical harvest