PL
Turbo Berry
Innovative technology for managing blueberry plantations for fruit suitability for mechanical harvesting using a modern all-row harvester
In soft fruit production, the biggest issue is the lack of labour availability, but also the increasing cost of labour. Expensive harvesting generates higher production costs and thus makes the profitability of production for the farmer significantly reduced. The solution to both these problems is the introduction of technologically improved harvesting mechanisation. The idea of the project is to obtain blueberry fruit with suitable parameters for which it will be possible to carry out mechanical harvesting while keeping their structure intact. The diagnostic methods applied will make it possible to obtain fruit of the highest quality suitable for harvesting by a combine harvester, but also meeting the high requirements of consumers in terms of flesh firmness and skin hardness.
Development and putting into practice a highly efficient harvesting method for blueberries by using the innovative plantation management technologies and the most technologically advanced methods for diagnosing plant nutrition and adapting irrigation to the plants' real water needs in order to save water.
Project activities
Within the framework of the planned operation, development works concerning the elaboration of a blueberry production technology, which will result in an innovative product in the form of blueberry fruit adapted to mechanical harvesting for the dessert fruit market, will be carried out. These activities include, among others, the development of a model for forming blueberry bushes, comparison of irrigation and fertilisation technology on a plantation, monitoring of the climate in crops with assessment of its impact on the yield as well as comparison of irrigation efficiency.
The main benefits of the project
The application of the results of the operation will contribute to a reduction in production costs, the replacement of the manual harvesting of blueberries with a mechanical one while maintaining the highest quality of the fruit, a reduction in the use of water and fertilisers taking into account the requirements and principles of protecting the environment and natural resources, the introduction of an innovative solution for harvesting the fruit freeing the grower from the need to organise it.
Practice summary
The proposed agro-technical and technical solutions introduced at the blueberry plantation will allow increasing the labour productivity (harvesting by machine harvester) and thus reducing fruit production costs. The applied diagnostic methods will allow obtaining fruit of the highest quality Balanced fertilisation and irrigation will allow limiting the use of fertilisers and water, which will not only reduce production costs, but will also have a significant impact on limiting the eutrophication of the natural environment. The innovative solution of 'buying fruit on the bush' relieves the grower of the need to organise the harvesting of the fruit, placing this responsibility on the fruit purchaser.
Results achieved
The completed operation contributed to the development of agrotechnical and technical solutions which, when implemented on highbush blueberry plantations together with diagnostic methods, made it possible to obtain the highest quality fruit suitable for mechanical harvesting while maintaining its intact structure, but also meeting the high demands of consumers in terms of flesh firmness and skin hardness (dessert market) and increasing work efficiency (combine harvesting), thereby reducing fruit production costs by eliminating problems related to obtaining labor for harvesting and reducing the associated production costs. Sustainable fertilization and irrigation have made it possible to reduce fertilizer and water consumption, which not only reduces costs but also significantly contributes to reducing eutrophication of the natural environment. An innovative solution consisting in “purchasing fruit on the bush” frees the grower from the need to organize fruit harvesting, transferring this responsibility to the fruit buyer and relieving the farmer of the constant search for markets.
The application of the results of the operation will contribute to reducing production costs, replacing manual blueberry harvesting with mechanical harvesting while maintaining the highest quality of fruit, reducing water and fertilizer consumption in accordance with environmental protection requirements and principles and natural resources, and introducing an innovative fruit harvesting solution that frees the grower from the need to organize it.