MECHANICAL HARVESTING REGIMES FOR PROCESSING BELL PEPPER PRODUCTION in OHIO

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS:

• Brad Bergefurd, Extension Agent, OSU Extension
• Mark Bennett, Vegetable Specialist, Horticulture

COOPERATORS:

• Thom Harker, Research Assistant, OSU Extension Enterprise Center
• Mandy Wilson, Summer Assistant, OSU Extension Enterprise Center
• Troy Putnam, Extension Agent, Highland County

ABSTRACT:

Harvest labor costs account for about 50 % of the costs of red bell pepper production, not to mention the legal work and recordkeeping requirements involved with employing harvest crews. Some manufactures have developed mechanical harvesters to perform a "once over" harvest of peppers. A "once over" machine harvest pulls the plant out of the ground and shakes the fruit off the plant. 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 harvest pepper crop in Ohio.

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Planting: Greenhouse grown plug plants were transplanted to the field using a Mechanical Transplanter on June 27, 1996 at Hillsboro, Ohio.

Spacing: Rows were 5 feet apart, with plants set into twin rows on raised beds at 12 " spacing between plants in the row and 16" spacing between double rows.

Soil Type: Haubstadt Silt Loam

Fertilizer: Applied 121 lb. N / Acre, 240 lb. K2O / Acre and 116 lb. P2O5 / Acre pre plant incorporated. 20-20-20, .5 lb. / 50 gal. water , 8 oz. per plant w/ transplant water.

Weed Control: 1.75 pt. / Acre Treflan 4E pre plant incorporated on June 21st. Hand hoed and cultivated as necessary.

Irrigation: None

Harvests: 9/26 - 1st harvest, 10/16 - 2nd harvest and 10/30 - 3rd harvest

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

RESULTS:

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1996 was the first year for this Mechanical Harvest Pepper trial. Growing conditions were good in 1996, however, due to a very wet spring, with over 17 1/2 inches of rain in April and May, planting dates were delayed. An open pollinated variety of bell pepper (Yolo Wonder) and a hybrid variety of bell pepper (King Arthur), both common varieties grown by processing pepper growers throughout Ohio, were selected for this trial.

First year results determine that a machine harvest treatment may be feasible for Ohio Processing Pepper growers. Red and Green Processing pepper buyers will be required and the red and green fruit will need to be separated, possibly by a color sorter mounted on the mechanical harvester or hand graded in a grading shed. Highest yielding overall treatment for both varieties in 1996 was to hand harvest one picking by hand and follow up with a once over mechanical harvest.

* Four different harvesting treatments were selected for this trial including: 1) a traditional selected hand harvest schedule (3 harvests) 2) 2 selected hand harvest treatments, 3rd harvest machine simulated 3) 1 selected hand harvest, 2nd harvest machine simulated 4) 1 machine simulated harvest only. Each treatment was replicated four times in a scientific replicated block design. Treatment rows were 20 ' long.

Table 1: MECHANICAL HARVEST PROCESSING PEPPER TRIALS; Hillsboro, Ohio

Yolo Wonder (Open Pollinated) Variety

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*Treatment Red Tons/A Green Tons/A Cull Tons/A

For 1996 pumpkin variety trail results and high/low input pumpkin production trail results check out VegNet