MONITORING OF LOSSES IN THE PROCESS OF MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF TOMATO - DOI: 10.13083/1414-3984/reveng.v23n4p315-325

Abstract

Losses due to mechanical harvesting of tomatoes are not yet the focus of research in Brazil, since studies on this topic are scarce; however losses can reach high levels, potentially reducing the productivity. In this context, the present study sought to evaluate the quality of mechanized harvesting of tomato on an industrial scale, utilizing the losses arising from the process by means of statistical process control. The experiment was performed using a harvester brand Co.Ri.Ma SRl, Iveco engine with six cylinders and power of 129 kW, monofilament, with cutting platform reaching 1.50 m. The cultivar used was Heis 9553 with spacing of 1.25 m between rows. The experimental design was completely randomized, constituting 64 repetitions in function of two treatments (32 replicates for green fruits and 32 for red fruits). The control charts of individual values and moving ranges are tools that assist in monitoring the quality of losses resulting from the mechanized harvesting operation. Losses on the cutting deck were higher for the red fruits and the highest variability of the harvesting process was also observed for red fruits.