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An approach to mechanical thinning of mandarins

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  2016 ASABE Annual International Meeting  162457303.(doi:10.13031/aim.20162457303)
Authors:   Coral Ortiz, Bernardo Martin-Gorriz, Enrique Ortí, Antonio Torregrosa
Keywords:   Citrus, mechanical thinning, shaker.

Synthetic auxins applied during the cell division stage produce fruitlet abscission and are a possible method for citrus thinning, but the increasing limitations to the use of synthetic hormones in agriculture, advise to explore other techniques as mechanical thinning.

In this way, thinning exploratory tests were done with two hand-held equipments: an electric hand-held fruit remover and a hand-held petrol branch-shaker, over two mandarin varieties 'Clemenrubí' and 'Clemenules'.

Detachment rates of 31 % and 38 % were achieved with the electric device and 52 % and 57 % with the shaker, for 'Clemenrubí' and 'Clemenules' respectively.

In the case of 'Clemenrubí', the shaker detached fruitlets of higher size than the electric remover, but in 'Clemenules' the differences were not significant.

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