Production Practices and Quality Assessment of Food Crops. Vol. 1

268 M. Ruiz-Altisent et al.
Figure 4. Strawberry harvester by the combing principle. (1) Finger band to comb the strawberry
plant. (2) Fan. (3) Discharge valve. (4) Conveyor and filling device.
Figure 5. Stripping machine with counterrotating rollers. (a) Front view, (b) side view.
Helix-shaped open cylinders, counterrotating, have been used in paprika pepper
harvesting machines, being the effect rather combing than stripping, as the helixes
comb the fruits rather than strip the plant. Stripping is also used for the detachment
of Brussels sprouts from the previously cut stalks. In this case, the effect is
achieved by rubber cords.
Shaking is applied to plants previously cut, in tomato harvesters. Industrytomato
mechanical harvesting is the most advanced vegetable mechanical harvesting,
in that there are world-wide used harvesters of numerous makes and designs which
harvest a very high percentage of the industry tomato surface. Tomato plants are
cut at the soil surface, plants with fruits are conveyed to the top of a vibrating
platform, in which, being the tomatoes in a hanging situation, a shaking energy is
exerted to them (Figure 6). Being the values of the detachment forces of tomato
fruits in the range of 20–30 N, and the mass of the fruits 0.05–0.20 kg, the minimum