Mechanization of white asparagus harvest

– overview and perspectives -

Martin Geyer

01.10.2017 2

• White asparagus is the most important vegetable

crop in Germany

Introduction

Koch: Gemüse 4/2017

01.10.2017 3

• White asparagus is the most important vegetable

crop in Germany

• Hand harvest of white asparagus is very arduous,

labor and cost intensive

Introduction

Koch: Gemüse 4/2017

01.10.2017 4

• White asparagus is the most important vegetable

crop in Germany

• Hand harvest of white asparagus is very arduous,

labor and cost intensive

• Since more than 60 years growers and

manufacturers contemplate to facilitate this process.

Introduction

Koch: Gemüse 4/2017

01.10.2017 5

Harvesting principles

• Hand harvest with basket

• Hand harvest supported by harvesting aids

• Nonselective harvest

• Selective harvest

01.10.2017 6

Harvesting principles

• Hand harvest with basket

• Hand harvest supported by harvesting aids

• Nonselective harvest

• Selective harvest

01.10.2017 7

0

5

10

15

20

25

Seku

nd

en

/ S

tan

ge

blind

teilblind

freigraben geschult

freigraben ungeschult

freigraben auf schw eren Boden

a b c d e

Manual harvesting: time for one spear

Blind

Half-blind

Trained digging

Untrained digging

Untrained digging on heavy soil

S

econds /

Spear

01.10.2017 8

3 – 4 workers per ha

Hand harvest with basket

01.10.2017 9

Hand harvest with basket;

working distance

Folie abdecken

Spargel stechen

Folie schließen

Korb leeren

Zeit

Folie abdecken

Spargel stechen

Folie schließen

Korb leeren

Zeit

Tim

e

Removing the film

Hand harvest

Closing the film

Empty the basket

In total the workers walk about 15 km to harvest one ha

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Hand harvest with push carriages and

improved film handling

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Single row electric driven harvest aids with automatic

handling of the film and transport of the spears

Asparagus spider, Engels

Innovatietechniek BV, Panningen, NL

01.10.2017 12

Single row electric driven harvest aids

• Battery performance should last one day

• Long „arc“ with enough height

• Ease of use

• Simple stop and go function by hand or by optical sensors

• Fast gear for periods with low yield

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Same harvest aid with double film handling;

black/white film + tunnel

Engels Innovatietechniek BV, Panningen, NL Supports

01.10.2017 14

Single-row combustion engine driven harvesters

with sitting harvest position (about year 2000)

Böckenhoff GmbH, Raesfeld, German)

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Two-rowed harvester (Engels, NL)

Performance problems in periods with

low yield because of waiting times

without spears

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Three-row harvesting aid

Sitting position in the center of the harvester (about 2000)

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5-row harvesting aid with sunscreen;

deposition in boxes

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14-row harvesting aid; deposition on a belt (2015)

(Strauss, Buxtehude Germany)

The film is lifted the asparagus are pre-cut,

pre-washed and pre-sorted on the machine

and stored at the back, to be unloaded in

one single movement.

01.10.2017 19

Tim

e in h

/ha

Raw yield in kg/ha

More row

Hand „+“

Hand „-“

The harvesting time depends on yield,

mechanization and work organization

Comparison of different harvesting systems

01.10.2017 20

Improving the use of one-row

harvesting aids by shift operation (Allofs 2015)

Harvesting period: 35 days

System 1 System 2 System3

Workers 2 + harvest aid 1 + harvest aid 3 + carriage

Working hours 8 h 10 h 10 h

(per worker & day)

Performance 3703 spears 3110 spears 2213 spears

(per worker & day) (2500 / 8 h) (1770 / 8h)

(per worker & h) 463 / h 311 / h 221 / h

Harvested area 0,8 ha 0,67 ha (-16%) 0,48 ha (-40%)

(per worker & day)

01.10.2017 21

Summary harvest aids

• Today electric driven single row harvesting aids are

predominantly used for white asparagus

• The amount of workers per ha can be reduced to less than 1

• Harvesting performance can be improved by two workers for

one harvester in shift operation

01.10.2017 22

Harvesting principles

• Hand harvest with basket

• Hand harvest supported by harvesting aids

• Nonselective harvest

• Selective harvest

(160) ... 180 ... 200 cm

40...45 cm

70 ... 80 cm

~ 3

5 c

m

cut

forward motion

vibrator

separating conveyor

(sive belt)

cutting unit

The whole ridge has to be cut

with a cutting unit

The spears were separated

from the soil with a sieve belt

(900 m³ soil / ha)

Manual removal from a

horizontal belt

Restore the ridge

Nonselective harvest,

principle

In the early fifties of the last century

american engineers started with this

harvesting principle for the can industry

(Kepner and O`Brian 1967)

Reaction of the asparagus plant

Harvest frequency

Yield, grade, quality etc.

Moisture distribution in the ridge

Heat distribution in the ridge

Phytosanitary questions

Economy

Many open questions

ATB – Prototype of the harvester ca. 1998

Paschold, P. J.; Geyer, M.(1998): Geyer, M.; Oberbarnscheidt, B.; Paschold, P.-J. (2002):

01.10.2017 26

Unfavorable distribution of the spear length

forward motion

vibrator

separating conveyor

(sive belt)

cutting unit

Photo: Kirpy: ai-solution GmbH, Wolfsburg, Germany, http://www.ai-solution.de/

Other manufacturer:

Christiaens Agro Systems, Neer (NL) www.christiaensagro.com

Photo: Kirpy, ai-solution GmbH

Results Kirpy

Kirpy 2009

01.10.2017 30

Tagesertrag

0

100

200

300

400

500

25.04.2003 05.05.2003 15.05.2003 25.05.2003 04.06.2003 14.06.2003 24.06.2003

Datum

Ert

rag

in

kg

/ha

Daily yield in 2003

Date

Yie

ld in k

g/h

a a

nd d

ay

(About 15 raw spears per kg)

01.10.2017 31

Harvesting principles

• Hand harvest with basket

• Hand harvest supported by harvesting aids

• Nonselective harvest

• Selective harvest

Selective harvest of white asparagus

Asparagus Panther

(It should replace up to

10 workers in shift

operation)

Photos: ai-solution Agrarmaschinen

www.ai-solution.de

01.10.2017 33

Machine decreases wage costs by 40% (Juni 2008) Brabantse Wal presents first full-automatic asparagus harvester in the world http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=24250

Selective harvest of white asparagus; Brabantse Wal

01.10.2017 34

AutoSpar (Strauss, Buxdehude)

AutoSpar "Development of an automatic harvesting system for white and violet Asparagus" Two color cameras with background illumination

Machine speed: In ‘auto’ mode and ‘find target’: 0,5 m/s

In ‘manual’ mode: from 0 – 1,5 m/s Harvesting efficiency: Up to 5 asparagus stalks per minute http://www.autospar.net/index.html

01.10.2017 35

Source:

http://www.cerescon.com/NL/home

Cerescon selective harvester (2017)

01.10.2017 36

• All in all, development of white asparagus harvest

mechanization is not completed

• Most growers are still waiting for a selective white

asparagus harvesting robot

• It should be fast, inexpensive and gentle to the

produce to limit the labor costs and the high number

of workers in the vegetable companies

Conclusion

Many thanks for your attention

01.10.2017 37