PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Brad Bergefurd, Extension Agent, OSU Extension

Ohio State University Extension Enterprise Center

1864 Shyville Road , Piketon, Ohio 45661-9749

(740)289-3727, bergefurd.1@osu.edu

Mark Bennett Vegetable Specialist, OSU Horticulture

COOPERATORS: Thom Harker, Research Assistant, OSU Extension Enterprise Center

John Wilson, Summer Assistant, OSU Extension Enterprise Center

Dwayne Taylor, Summer Assistant, OSU Extension Enterprise Center

Harvest labor cost account for about 50% of the costs of red bell pepper production, not to mention the legal work and record keeping requirements involved with employing harvest crews. Some manufactures have developed mechanical harvesters to perform a ?once over? harvest of peppers as well as multiple mechanical harvest picks. A ?once over? machine harvest pulls the plant out of the ground and shakes the fruit off the plant. The multiple pick machines harvest the pepper using a "Double Helix" type of a fruit gathering system, thus leaving the plant unharmed for multiple harvests.

The mechanical harvesters seem to harvest a high quality Capsicum pepper crop in other areas of the United States, but no information is available as to scheduling a machine harvesting techniques that could be used by Ohio processing pepper growers.

Planting: Greenhouse grown plug transplants, Commandant variety, were transplanted to the field using a Mechanical Transplanter on July 1, 1998 at Hillsboro, Ohio.

Spacing: 10 foot plot rows were 5 foot apart, with plants set into twin rows on raised beds at 12 inch spacing between plants in the row and 16 inch spacing between double rows.

Soil Type: Haubstadt Silt Loam

Fertilizer: Applied 120 lbs. N, 120 lbs. P2O5 and 120 lbs. K2O per acre prior to planting according to the soil test recommendations. 20-20-20, (1 lb./100 gal., 8 oz. per plant w/transplant water).

Weed Control: 2 pt./acre Treflan 4E pre plant incorporated on June 30^th, 1998 hand hoed and cultivated as necessary.

Pest Management: None

Irrigation: None

Harvests: September 29^th first harvest, October 20^th second harvest

*101 Once over red and green fruit.

*102 First pick select large red and green fruit, second harvest once over red and green fruit.

*Thanks to the Ohio Vegetable and Small Fruit Research and Development Program for a grant to accomplish this research.