CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE

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1 CANADAN OURNAL OF PLANT SCENCE vl. 67 (3) Hrticulture Sectin uly 987 EFFECTS OF CULTT]RAL SYSTEMS AND HARVESTNG TECHNQUES ON THE PRODUCTON OF STRAWBERRES FOR PROCESSNG Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. A. DALE, V. P. GRAY, and N. W. MLESz thrticultural Research nstitute f Ontari, Bx 587, Simce, Ontari, Canada N3Y 4N5; and Hnicultural Research nstitute f Ontari, Vinel.and Statin, Ontari, Canada ')R E0. Received 5 Sept. 986, accepted 6 Feb DA-E, A., Gnav, V. P. ANDMLES, N. W Effects f cultural systems and harvesting techniques n the prductin f strawberries fr prcessing. Can.. Plant Sci. 67: Field and decapping perfrmance were cmpared fr tw strawberry clnes, the cultivar Midway and the selectin Vineland (V) 674'7R-6, grwn in slid beds r in matted rws and harvested either nce-ver by hand r by machine r by multiple harvests invlving bth hand and machine. Yields, which were related t crwn numbers, were higher and fruit sizes were lwer frm the slid beds cmpared t the matted rws. Within each cultural system, yields were higher frm the nce-ver hand and multiple harvests than frm nce-ver machine harvests. A similar prprtin f decapped fruit fr a frzen prduct was btained by mechanical decapping frm the tw systems. A greater prprtin was btained frm multiple harvests f the matted rws than by ther harvest treatments in that system r by any f the treaffnents in the slid bed system. Frm all systems and treatrnents, Midway gave higher yields and mre decapped fruit than V6747R-6. Key wrds: Strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa, yield, machine harvest, slid beds, matted rws Effets des mdes culturaux et des techniques de cueillette sur la prductin de fraises destin6es ir la transfrmatin. l Titre abr6g6: Effet du mde de culture et de cueillette sur la prductin de fraises. On a cmpar6 le cmprtement sur le terrain et ir l'6queutage de deux clnes de fraisier, du cultivar Midway et de la s6lectin Vineland (V) 6747R-6, cultiv6s en planches u en rangs natt6s et sumis ir une cueillette unique?r la main u i la machine u )t de multiples cueillettes ir la main et )r la machine. Le rendement (calcul6 en fnctin du nmbre de cllets) 6tait plus 6ev6, mais le fruit, mins grs pur les plantatins en planches que pur les rangs natt6s. Pur les deux mdes culturaux, la cueillette unique i la main et les cueillettes multiples dnnaient un rendement sup6rieur il celui d'une cueillette m6canique unique. La prprtin de fruits 6queut6s m6caniquement pur cng6latin 6tait semblable pur les deux. Tutefis, n en btenait une plus frte prprtin par cueillettes multiples des rangs natt6s que par tute autre technique de cueillefte appliqu6e i ce mde de culture u que par n'imprte quelle technique de cueillette pur les plantatins en planches. Pur tus les mdes culturaux et techniques de cueillette, Midway a dnn6 un meilleur rendement et plus de fruits 6queut6s que v6747r-6. Mts c6s: Fraise, Fragaria x anaw$sa, rendement, cueillefte m6canique, plantatin en planches, rangs natt6s Can.. Plant Sci. 67: (uly

2 854 CANADAN OURNAL OF PLANT SCENCE Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. There have been many attempts t develp machine harvesters fr prcessing strawberries in rder t increase prductin efficiency, bth in Nrth America (Mrris et al. 978: Bster 980: Hansen annd Ledebuhr 980; Denisn and Buchele 96; Shikaze and Nybrg 973) and in Eurpe (Kemp 976; Luciguan 979; DiCili and Zli 97 5 ; Thuesen 984). Als. fruit frm machine and hand harvests have been used t study the perfrmance f decapping machines (Kirk 980; Ledebuhr and Hansen 980: Leban 980). Mst f the studies have invlved the matted rw culture system. Hwever, tw studies have investigated slid bed r wide rw systems (Ricketsn 968: Mrris et al. 985). This study cmpared the slid bed strawberry culture with the traditinal matted rw system fr tw clnes under bth hand-pick and machine-harvesting treatments. The relatinships between cultural techniques, harvesting methds and mechanical decapping were cmpared as they affected the prductin f whle decapped fruit. MATERAL AND METHODS The experiment was cnducted at the Hrticultural Experiment Statin, Simce f the Hrticultural Research nstitute f Ontari n a Fx sandy lam sil. Certified plants f tw clnes, the cultivar Midway and a Vineland selectin V6747R-6 (Veestar x NY844), were used fr the study. lv{idway has been used successfully fr slid bed prductin, harvested by machine (Ledebuhr and Hansen 980) and V6747R-6 has extremely firm, necked fruit which have the ptential t prduce a high-quality frzen prduct (Ricketsn et al. 979). Tw cultural r management systems were used: matted rws and slid beds. Matted rw plts cnsisted f fur rws f 9 plants spaced 60 cm apart. The rws in the plts t be hand harvested were spaced. m apart and thse plts t be machine harvested were.5 m apart. The slid beds were made up f seven rws f 9 plants, 0.9 m between the rws and 0.6 m between the plants. The harvesting treaftnents used were a nce-ver hand harvest (hand harvest), nce-ver machine harvest (machine harvest) and a multiple harvest. The multiple harvest n matted rws was a multiple hand harvest whereas n slid beds, the first harvest was a hand harvest fllwed by a single machine harvest. The experimental design was a split-plt replicated fur times with clnes as the main plts and the cmplete factrial f the tw management systems and the three harvesting treatments as the subplts. All subplts had a harvested area f 50 m. The matted rws were cultivated accrding t cnventinal practices and the slid beds cultivated accrding t previus recmmendatins (Miles and Vandenburg 983). T level the plts fr machine harvesting, all pits were rlled with a 3-t-rller each spring alter the frst had left the sil and befre grwth had started. Fertilizer was applied t all plts as fllws: befre planting in98,50 kg ha-t N and 00 kg ha-l PzOs and KO; and at renvatin in 983, 45 kg ha -r N and 90 kg ha-t PO5 and KO. One mnth befre harvest 984, 4 kg ha-t N were added t the slid beds and at renvatin 50 kg ha-t f N and KO were applied t the matted rws but at twice the rate t the slid beds. A further 8 kg ha-t N were added t the slid beds in mid-august 984. All plts were irrigated fr spring frst cntrl. Subsequently they were irrigated as necessary. After harvest they were irrigated t aid crwn regeneratin aft er defl iatin. n 983 and 984, fruit was harvested frm the plts in the fllwing three ways: in the nce-ver hand-harvested plts, the whle truss was remved t simulate a machine harvest. n the nce-ver machine-harvested plts, the whle, abvegrund part f the plant was harvested with a Canners Machinery, nc. (CML, Simce, Ontari) selfprpelled harvester. This machine cut a.-m swath with a frnt-munted sickle bar cutter and remved all the plant parts - cm abve the grund. The fliage and fruit were carried up an inclined flat belt cnveyr and the leaves were separated frm the fruit inside the harvester by cntrlled air streams. The clusters f fruit with stems attached were then cnveyed int 05 x 0 x 40-cm bins. n the matted rw, multiple-harvest plts, fruit frm three harvests was picked individually with the calyx and at least.5 cm fpedicel attached. n the slid bed, multiple harvest, the first harvest was hand picked as fr the matted rw multiple harvest and the remainder f the crp was machine harvested abut l0 d later. n 985, all plts were harvested by machine as there was evidence that the different harvesting techniques affected the plant density.

3 DALE ET AL.._ CULTURE AND HARVEST METHOD ON STRAWBERRY PRODUCTON 855 Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. All fruit was prcessed immediately after harvest. n 983, the prcessing line cnsisted f a wash-tank, declusterer, shaker-feeder, decapper, inspectinbelt, spray wash and sizer. n 984, the prcessing line was similar except that a.5-cm eliminatr was added immediately after the decapper. The declusterer, built by CML, singulated the fruit frm the clusters leaving the fruit with the calyx and at least.9 cm f pedicel attached. The decapper, built by CML, was described in detail by Ledebuhr and Hansen (980). The fruit was fed nt an inclined upward-mving belt f cunter-revlving, rubber-cvered rllers. The entire decapper rbited in the hrizntal plane t psitin the fruit with the larger, stem-side dwn. The stems were grabbed by the rllers and carried up ver the tp f the belt t a band-knife which cut ff the calyx and a mininal amunt f flesh. The decapper remved debris, which included inflrescence stalks, leaves and calices frm the prcessing line. Fruit nt grabbed by the cunter-revlving rllers fell t the back f the decapper and were termed "rllbacks." Fruit carried ver the tp f the decapper and nt ver the blade were termed "rllvers". The fruit remved frm the inspectin belt were immafure, verripe, rften, malfrmed and/r with the calyx still attached and were termed "srtuts. " n 983, the extremely small fruit, (.9 cm, were included as srtuts but in 984, they were graded utby the eliminatr and included as rllbacks. Fr all harvests, the ttal yield f fruit and stems (ttal prduct) was weighed fr each plt and in 984 and 985, a sample f 30 fruits was taken frm each plt at each harvest t estimate fruit weight. n 983 and 984, the ttal prduct was srted n the prcessing line and ttal weights f debris, rllbacks, rllvers, srtuts and decapped fruit were btained. n 984, these weights were recrded nly fr the first harvest fr the matted rw multiple harvest. mmediately befre each harvest the number f crwns in tw l5-cm x l-m quadrats were cunted in each plt. These quadrats were taken at the midpint f the t'w utside matted rws r m in frm the side f the slid beds alng the mid-pint f the bed. n 983 and 984, the lng axis f the quadrat was placed at right angles t the matted rw r the side f the slid bed, and in 985 the quadrat was placed alng the mattred rw r parallel t the side f the slid bed. The percentage fprduct remved at each stage fprcessing was defined as the weight fprduct remved at that stage as a percentage f the ttal weights recrded frm all stages. All data were subjected t analysis fvariance. Angular transfrmatins were used fr percentages. Where data fr r 3 yrs were analyzed tgether, the year effect was analyzed as the secnd split f a split-split plt design. Fr crwn cunts in 985, after the initial analysis where the managment systems used were nt significant, the six management x harvester cmbinatins were separated int thse machine harvested r hand harvested and the analysis repeated. RESULTS Field Characteristics: n 983 and 984, when the quadrats were laid at right angles t the matted rw, the slid beds had significantly mre crwns than matted rws (Table ); mean values were 3 m- cmpared t li m- in 983 and 86 m- cmpared r 7 m- in 984. n 985, when the quadrats were laid parallel t the matted rws, thse plts that were previusly machine harvested had significantly fewer crwns than thse previusly hand picked (Table l)r 0 and47 m- respectively. Over the 3 yr f the experiment the numbers f crwns in the slid beds increased significantly in a linear trend; 3, 86 and 7 m-z fr 983, 984 and 985, respectively. n 983 and 984 the main effects f clne, management system, harvesting treatrnent and year n yield were signifrcant (Table ), althugh the tw clnes and three harvesting treatments yielded differently in the yr. n 985 when all plts were machine harvested, the effect f management system was significant althugh the clnes yielded differently in the tw systems (Table ). Midway utyielded V6747R-6 in 983. The yield f V6747R-6 was cnstant ver the first yr but that f Midway declined in the secnd year. n 985 Midway ufyielded Y6747R-6 by 9.5 t ha-l in slids beds and by.5 t ha-l n the matted rws (Table 3). Slid beds cnsistently utyielded matted rws (Table 3). n 983 and 984, yields were highest frm the nce-ver hand harvest treafinent. inter-

4 856 CANADAN URNAL F plant scence Table Analyses f variance fr pre-harvest crwn cunts fr tw strawberry clnes harvested frm tw management systems by three harvesting treatrnents (crwns 0.5 m-) Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. Surce f variatin Blck Clne (C) Between-plt EMS Management (M) Harvesting (H) Machine vs. hand-harvest CXM CXH MXH CXMXH Machine x clne Within-plt EMS Year Linear Other Residual MS All plts t ratl l t **+.O l rati ).t 0.0 t x** r 86 fyear interactins were nt significant and have been included in the residual MS. *, **, *** Significant at P=0.05, P:0.0 and P:0.0O, respectively. ratr 5.9* r0.** 0. '7.53 Slid beds nly rati ** *** 0.5 l Table. Analyses f variance fr ttal yield f tw strawberry clnes, harvested frm tw management systems by three harvesting treatments frm 983 t 985 Surce f vanance Blck Clne (C) Between-plt EMS Management (M) Harvesting (H) CXM CXH MXH CXMXH Within-plt EMS Year (Y) 983 vs. 984 & 985 (A) 984 vs. 985 (B) YXC AXC BXC YXM YXH YXCXM Residual MS All plts Machine-harvested plts 983 and rati 9.5* 6'l.3*** *** 8.7* x* r 7.O**+ 43.*** *.06l rati lx**.6.6*x t4.87 rati * 4t.3 5.5*x* x,x*,x*xsignificant at P:0.05, P=0.0 and P=0.00, respectively. ftw and three-factr interactins with year were nt significant and have been included in the residual MS 3.A.l *x* * t5.70

5 DALE ET AL. - CULTURE AND HARVEST METHOD ON STRAWBERRY PRODUCTON 857 Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. Table 3. Mean ttal yield fr tw strawberry clnes harvested frm tw management systems by three harvestins treatrnents frm 983 t 985 Variables Clne Midway v674'tr-6 Mean Hamesting Hand Multiple Machine Slid bed Matted rw 7.'7 r7.'7.' r Mean Slid bed 33.5 r r r 9.r Ttal yield (t ha-t; Matted rw r O 3.8 Mean Slid bed r O 4.6 Matted rw tthe means are fr residual effects f harvesting treatments, as all plts were machine harvested in 985. mediate frm the multiple harvest treatment and least frm the mmachine harvested treatment. n the secnd year, yields were lwer than the first year fr all harvesting treatnents but the machine-harvested treatment declined mre than the thers. The ttal prduct yields frm machine-harvested treatrnent nly was signifrcantly greater in 983 than in either 984 r 985 (Tables and3). n 985, when all plts were machine harvested, there was n residual effect f the harvesting treatrnents frm the previus yr. r5.9 t t t4.3 Mean Prcessing Line Characteristics n 983 and 984, Midway prduced mre debris than V6'47R-6, as did the nce-ver machine-harvested treatment when cmpared t either the nce-ver hand- r multipleharvestedtreatrnent (Tables 4 and 5). n 983, the significant harvesting effect culd be accunted fr by the Midway machineharvested treatrnent which prduced a significantly greater prprtin f debris than the thers (Table 6). n 984, the machineharvested treatment averaged nly % mre debris than the thers. Midway had a significantly greater prprtin f srtuts and decapped fruit and a signihcantly lwer prprtin f rllbacks than V6747R-6 (Tables 4 and 5). The tw management systems were similar fr srtuts in bth years and rllvers and decapped fruit in 983. Significant differences ccurred fr rllbacks in bth vears and rllvers and decapped fruit in 984 (Table 4). Hwever. the differences in rllbacks in bth years and rllvers in 984 culd be accunted fr by the significantly lwer prprtin f rllbacks in the Midway, matted rw, multiple harvesting cmbinatin and the significantly lwer prprtin f rllvers fr bth clnes in the matted rw, multiple harvesting cmbinatin respectively (Table 6). Except fr rllbacks in 983, the multipleharvesting treatrnent prduced a signifrcantly lwer prprtin f rllbacks, rllvers and srtuts and a higher prprtin fdecapped fruit than either f the nce-ver harvesting treatments (Table 5). The nce-ver harvests did nt vary significantly in their prprtins, except fr rllbacks in 983 (Table 5). n 983, the matted rw, multiple harvest cmbinatin had a significantly higher prprtin f decapped berries than the ther cmbinatins (Table 6). n 984, many f the interactins with the harvesting treatnents were significant. Except fr the Midway, machine harvesting cmbinatin, which had a higher prprtin f srtuts than the ther treatrnent cmbinatins, all the significant interactins invlved the machine-harvesting treatment with the Midway and/r the matted rw treatments (Table 6). The Midway, multiple harvest cmbinatin gave a higher prprtin fdecapped fruit and a lwer prprtin f rllbacks than the ther clne harvesting treatrnents. The matted rw,

6 CANADAN OURNAL OF PLANT SCENCE Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. B,^6 ;vr?@.;6. s) Pa.4 x9) -ul.t!> d E> SB s6 cq H: 8.E ir.n= :? d> 6a 59 qx,'q -' d Ea 6 + F..E!! N br E 5R 6 - X* * + + v i:* x * * x = -gsqiril&^q.jd839x-" it> ii if s&5-i<-he --jr-:6i d.i sdd r*9 $x 6,ir--ibs6 :::jji^; ::: v OO*:N@iO +x@ -5E-er-ci-:l drjr+3-- r*n*; i t^sln--e r:y:;ajji; sf" *6 :i n!t ii x laetiallr,s ig:r*rds6d 5 *N*h :!.. iig! e&86*sehe +idvddd6ir;cj lq S 3.t-5\nr:e\aq -g-:n*- *N*N s6ibn5 i gd.-:r;6i -6:NiNNNS 6-.icjd EE. 9 z=! Er] -+E P x! Yfi9"tErrEi EEiHxxxx! EOd>;cc.,,r..,EB 5 O.i O l multiple harvesting cmbinatin gave a higher prprtin f decapped fruit and lwer prprtins f rllbacks, rllvers and srtuts than the ther management, harvesting cmbinatins. The Midway, matted rw, multiple harvesting cmbinatin had a higher prprtin f decapped fruit and a lwer prprtin f rllbacks than all the ther clne, management, harvesting cmbinatins. n 984, the interactins with the multiple harvest, matted rw treatment culd have ccurred because fruit frm nly the first harvest was prcessed whereas all fruit was prcessed frm the ther treatments. T check this, the multiple harvest, matted rw treatment was cmpared with the first harvest f the multiple harvest, slid bed treatrnent. Bth clnal and management treatment were signifrcant fr the percentage f decapped fruit (Table 7). The matted rws had 38% decapped fruit and the slid beds 6%. The main effects f clne, management and harvesting n individual fruit weight in 984 all differed significantly, althugh the management systems respnse varied with harvesting treatment (Table 8). n 985, when all the plts were harvested by machine nly, maffed rws prduced larger (3.8 g) fruit than the slid beds (3.4 g) (Table 8). V6747R-6 had larger fruit than Midway in 984 and the fruit frm the matted rws was larger than that frm the slid beds in bth years (Tables 8 and 9). n 984, the matted rw, multiple harvest treatment had much larger fruit than all the ther treatments (Table 9). Fruit size fr nce-ver harvesting by machine r hand did nt differ. DSCUSSON Strawberries grwn in slid beds utyielded thse grwn in matted rws, had smaller fruits and prcessed similarly int a frzen prduct. Mrever, hand-harvested plts yielded mre fruit than machine-harvested plts. When the fruit was prcessed int a frzen prduct, the multiple harvest treatments gave a greater prprtin fdecapped fruit than single harvests, either hand r machine, and fruit btained frm multiple

7 DALE ET AL. - CULTURE AND HARVEST METHOD ON STRAWBERRY PRODUCTON 859 Table 5. Mean percentage f ttal prduct fr debris, rllbacks, rllvers, srtuts and decapped fruits frm the prcessing line fr tw strawberry clnes harvested frm tw management systems by three harvesting treatrnents in 983 and 984 Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. % f ttal prduct Rllbacks Rllvers Srtuts Decapped fruit Treatrnent r t984 Clne Midway v6747r-6 Management Slid bed Matted rw Hanesting Multiple Hand Machine 3 t8 8 0 t l ' harvests was larger. Of the tw clnes cmpared, Midway utyielded and had larger fruit than V6747R-6. n prcessing, Midway prduced mre plant debris and mre decapped fruit than V674lR-6. Similar variatins amng clnes had previusly been recrded (Ledebuhr et al. 977;Brard and Steer 980; Kirk 980; Annymus 98 ; Burrws 984). Y 67 47R-6 cnsistently had a larger prprtin f fruit which rlled back ff the decapper when the pedicel either brke r was pulled ut f the calyx. This type f defect has been nted in ther studies using a rller-bed type decapper (Annymus 98; Gding et al. 983). Yields f Midway declined in the secnd fruiting year whereas thse f V6747R-6 remained cnstant. This decline culd have resulted frm a nutrient deficiency brught abut by the greater vigr f the Midway plants. Here, Midway was mre vigrus than V6747R-6 in the first year and the decline in vigr was mre nticeable in the slid beds. Additinal nitrgen applied t the slid beds after the secnd harvest appeared t rectify the prblem. The slid beds utyielded the matted rws by an average f 46% ver the 3 yr f this experiment, which is cnsistent with the yields reprted by Ricketsn (968). The increased yields n the slid beds can be accunted fr almst entirely by the additinal crwns prduced by that system and reflects 9 t0 ll '7 t4 t0 l5 6 t l5 t t'7 t8 tl ) 6l 0 il 6 4 t5 3 n l l l7 the additinal area ccupied by plants in the slid beds. Fruit frm the slid beds decapped similarly t that frm the matted rws, which indicated that this was nt affected by the different cultural practices. Where the prprtin f rllbacks and decapped fruit shwed significant effects, the management system interacted significantly with the harvesting treatment. Mre fruit was picked by the nce-ver hand and multiple harvesting than by the ncever machine harvests. Similar results have been fund when multiple harvests, hand nly r hand plus machine were cmpared with nce-ver machine harvests n matted rws (Martin et al. 979:' Mrris et al. 979). The lwer yields frm the nce-ver machine-harvested treatments prbably reflected the pick-up efhciency f the harvester. n 983, studies n the pick-up efficiency f the machine harvester shwed that it harvested an average f 83% f the fruits (Laur 986). f the nce-ver hand harvest yields are taken as the maximum attained here, the nce-ver machine harvest yields averaged 8 % f thse. This is similar t the pick-up efficiency reprted. Machine harvesting may cntrl the numbers f crwns sufficiently s that the plantings d nt becme t dense. n matted rws, there is an ptimum crwn density abve which yield decreases as the number f crwns increases (Swartz et al. 98). n this

8 860 CANADAN OURNAL OF PLANT SCENCE t ql tl \\\+r\n+nrr l:hh::i d Table 7. Analysis f variance fr angular transfrrnatin f percentage decapped fruit fr the hrst harvest f the multiple harvest treatments in 984 Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. l :ḻ l a'l tl xl Bl t : d+ -=@ 6 39 : av Eg 3P 9; v!p :!? =v ir= := - >i =>.= *9 ^= '68 F '= d s d \ F - t99 lz l: 6l l dle t* ln,9 H t t l\ t- a t q d.s9 d O\ * O* S NN:*iN_i:N d+r*ro\onnonn O<r O\On \O:f,rr :d \r\i\rhri jj iiiin O\O,O\:fr\OO:dh6 -r,d@.hsnn <n$n<.{.\o\o\o\o\o\o +\O@OOrF Orn* NdNNnn nhn NOlh-+Fr\\rFr C) O\\Of'.OdN6Cl lnl:*nii E9 E+ 9+ '5Es EEE';.F'E!t = E?= E H= = 3= = 3 >i>>i>>i>>e> Surce f variatin rati Blck Clne (C) Between-plt EMS Management (M) CXM Within-plt EMS.0 3.** xxx **,***Significant at P:0.0 and P:0.00, respectively. experiment, machine-harvested plts had fewer crwns than the hand-harvested plts befre the 985 harvest, but yields were similar at that harvest. This wuld suggest that the hand-harvested plts had mre crwns than needed t btain ptimum yields whilst the machine-harvested plts had nt yet reached ptimum density. Mre decapped fruit were prduced frm the multiple harvests than frm the nce-ver harvests. This difference was attributed t the harvesting technique and fruit ripeness. n the multiple harvests, all the fruit was picked with at least a 5-mm pedicel whilst the nce-ver harvested fruit was picked as the whle truss. Only ripe fruit was harvested frm multiple harvest plts whilst the nce-ver harvested fruit included all stages f maturity, frm green t ver-ripe. Thus the CML decapper wrks mre effectively with individually stemmed, ripe fruit. The similar grading f the fruit frm the nce-ver machine and hand harvests indicated that the machine had n detrimental effect n the recvery f decapped fruit. The recvery f decapped fruit depended n whether the fruit was picked in clusters r singly, rather than by machine r hand. The recvery f fruit frm the CML decapper appears t be influenced by pedicel ength, clne and fruit ripeness (Burrws 984). The best treaffnent here, Midway, matted rw, multiple hand harvest, gave the mst unifrm cmbinatin f pedicel length and fruit ripeness. The average 5l% rccvery fr this treatment is cmparable with that reprted elsewhere (Ledebuhr and Hansen 980: Burrws 984: Riux 985). 5 6

9 DALE ET AL. CULTURE AND HARVEST METHOD ON STRAWBERRY PRODUCTON 86 - Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. Table 8. Analyses f variance fr mean individual fruit weight fr tw strawberry clnes harvested frm tw management systems by three harvesting treatments in 984 and 985 Blck Clne (C) Between-plt EMS Management (M) Harvesting (H) CXM CXH MXH CXMXH Within-plt EMS ratis Surce f variatin t 37.O*** 87.44* * ** 3.4*** '7 *+ t.4 r.5 tthe within-plt EMS :0 in ** Table 9. Mean individual fruit weight (g) fr tw strawberry clnes harvested frm tw management systems by three harvesting treatments in 984 Management Harvest Midway v6747r-6 Mean Matted rw Multiple Slid bed Multiple Matted rw Machine Matted rw Hand Slid bed Hand Slid bed Machine 7.8 ).(, ).t ).) 4.9 A< 8.4a 5.7b 5.0bc 4.7bc +-5C +.LC Mean a-c Mean separatin using Duncans Multiple Range Test, P=0.05. Fr prcessing, prblems still exist and the prprtin f fruit decapped must be increased. Midway is ne acceptable cultivar which will machine harvest and decap n the CML decapper. But even with this cultivar, twice the percentage f decapped fruit was recvered frm multiple-harvest matted rws than frm machine-harvested slid beds. n the freld, the slid bed, machine harvest system utyielded the matted rw, multiple harvest system. Detailed csts f the tw systems have been cllated in Ontari and these clearly shw that it is cheaper t prduce and harvest slid beds by machine than t harvest matted rws by hand (Buth and McKibbn 984; McKibbn 986). ACKNOWLEDGMENT This wrk was financed in art bv the Ontari Ministry f Agriculture and Fd and in part by Agriculture Canada thrugh its New Crp Develpment and Prcessing, Distributin and Retailing Funds. The wrk n the prcessing lines culd nt have been dne withut the ful supprt f Farm Lane Fds Ltd., Simce and Nrflk Cherry C. Ltd., Simce wh built and perated the lines. Miss Carl Chandler, Miss anet Brwn, Miss Linda Wd, Miss Teresa Palasini and Miss Cerry Thmsn are thanked fr their technical assrstance. Annymus 98. Mechanical harvesting f strawberries - A develpment farm prject A.D.A.S., Ministry f Agriculture, Fisheries and Fd, Lndn, U.K. Bster, D Mechanical harvesting f strawberries in Oregn. Pages in L. W. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry mechanizatin. Argic. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Brard, L. T. and Steer, P An update f strawberry mechanizatin in England. Pages in L. W. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry mechanizatin. Agric. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Burrws,.lg8/.. Preliminary reprt n the 984 evluatin f a strawberry decapper and declusterer. Agriculture Canada, Kentville, Nva Sctia. 5 pp. Buth, D. and McKibbn, E Strawberry prductin csts in Ontari. Ecnmics nfrmatin Reprt N , Trnt, Ontari Ministry f Agriculture and Fd, Ont. pp. 38. Denisn E. L. and Buchele, W. F Mechanical harvesting f strawberries. Prc. Am. Sc. Hrtic. Sci. 9: DiCil. S. and Zli. M. f975. Racclta meccanica delle fragle cn un prttip di raccglitrice sperimentale. Rivista di ngegneria Agraria 6: 3-8. Gding, H.., McNicl, R.. and Reid,. H Studies f strawberry fruit characteristics necessary fr machine harvesting. Crp Res. (Hrtic. Res.). 3: 3-6. Hansen, C. M. and Ledebuhr, R. L Mechanical harvesting f strawberries in Michigan. Pages 54-6 in L. W. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry mechanizatin. Agric. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Kemp, l Mechanical harvesting f strawberries. N.Z.. Agric. l3:. 54,57-58.

10 86 CANADAN OURNAL OF PLANT SCENCE Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. Kirk, D. E Pstharvest handling f mechanically harvested strawberries in Oregn. pages9-loin L. W. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry nrechanizatin. Agric. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Laur, E. M. 9t6. Machinery and equipment. Prc. Strawberry Res. Crp. Annu. Rep. fr 985 (Simce, Ont.). pp Leban, V. f980. A new apprach t strawberry decapping. Pages 4-4 in L..Vl. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry mechanizatin. Agric. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Ledebuhr, R. L. and Hansen, C. M n-plant handling f mechanically harvested strawberries. Pages -9 in L. W. Martin and. R. Mrris, eds. Strawberry mechanizatin. Agric. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Bull. N Ledebuhr, R. L., Hansen, C. M., Brard, L.., Newell,. and Fricsen, O Develpment f the Michigan State University strawberry harvesting system. Am. Sc. Agric. Eng. paper N pp. Lucigniani, M Studi e prgett di una nuva raccglitrice di fragle a pettinament laterale. Rivista di ngegneria Agraria. l0: Martin, L. W., Bster, D. E., Brwn, W. G., Kim, C. S., Kirk, D. E., Langm, R. D. and Varsevelt, G. W Strawberry mechanizatin an evaluatin - f harvesting, prcessing, utilizatin and ecnmics. Agr. Exp. Stan., Oregn State University, Rept. N pp. McKibbn, E, 986. Ecnmics. Prc. Strawberry Res. Crp. Annu. Rep. fr 985 (Simce, Ont.). pp. l-8. Miles, N. W. and Vandenberg, A. A Guidelines fr slid bed culture. Prc. Strawberry Res. Crp. Annu. Rep. fr 98 (Simce, Ont.). 46 pp. Mrris,. R., Kattan, A. A., Nelsn, G. S. and Cawthn, D. L Develping a mechanized system fr prductin, harvesting and handling f strawberries. HrtScience. 3: Mrris,. R., Spayd, S. E., Cawthn, D. L., Kattan, A. A. and Nelsn, G. S Strawberry clnal fruit yield and quality respnses t hand picking prir t nce-ver machine harvest.. Am. Sc. Hrtic. Sci. 04: Mrris,. R., Sims, C. A. and Cawthn, D. L Effects f prductin systems, plant ppulatins and harvest dates n yield and quality f machine-harvested strawberries.. Am. Sc. Hrtic. Sci. ll0: Ricketsn, C. L "Slid-bed" plantings - a prmising methd f grwing strawberries. Hrtic. Res. nst. Ont. Annu. Rep. pp. 5-. Ricketsn, C. L., Vandenberg, A., Ck, F.., Gray, V. P. and Smith, R.. B Strawberry Cultivar Trials 979. Rept. f Hrticultural Research nstitute f Ontari, Vineland Statin. Ontari. Ri,ux, Une exp6rience de transfrmatin. Sympsium sur la culture de la fraise, Cnseil des prductins vdg6tales du Qu6bec, Qu6bec. pp.09-. Shikaze, G. and Nybrg, E. O Mechanical strawberry harvester trials. Can. Sc. Agric. Eng. paper N pp Swartz, H.., Walsh, C. S., Geyer, A. F., Duglass, L., Galletta, G.. and Zimmerman, R. H, 98. Plant crwn cmpetitin in strawberry matted rws. Adv. Strawberry Prd. : 6-. Thuesen, A Maskinhst afjrdbaer. Statens Planteavisfrsg Meddelelse nr pp.

11 Can.. Plant Sci. Dwnladed frm by n 0/5/8 Fr persnal use nly. This article has been cited by:. Adam Dale, Eric. Hansn, David E. Yarbrugh, Rnald. McNicl, Elden. Stang, Rex Brennan, ustin R. Mrris, Gary B. Hergert. Mechanical Harvesting f Berry Crps [Crssref].. C. SUTTON, T. D. W. AMES, A. DALE Harvesting and bedding practices in relatin t grey muld f strawberries. Annals f Applied Bilgy 3:, [Crssref]