Automated asparagus harvesting cuts… – Information Centre – Research & Innovation

Selective harvesting will involve buying components of the crop that are ripe, without harming components of the crop that need to be harvested at a later time or remaining in the soil. At the moment, this approach is only carried out by hand. Common examples of selectively harvested crops include tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, melons, blueberries and raspberries.

“This is also the situation for white asparagus,” claims SPARTerS job coordinator Thérèse van Vinken of Cerescon in the Netherlands. “The European market is currently worth about EUR 800 million a yr, but regretably the whole marketplace is under threat. This is partly for the reason that the quantity of hand pickers is declining yr by yr, whilst the rate of manual labour carries on to rise.”

There are other difficulties involved with hand buying. Asparagus spears can at times go undetected and be remaining sticking out of the sand mattress for the following harvesting session. This can lead to discolouration and the asparagus creating open heads.

Automatic harvesting resolution

To address these issues, the EU-funded SPARTerS job has targeted on bringing to market a mechanised selective harvesting equipment. The important aim of this innovation is to lessen asparagus harvesting charges, as effectively as strengthening the high quality and quantity of the crop.

“The resolution is dependent on a patented underground detection process,” describes van Vinken. “Sensors detect the asparagus as it grows underground, without coming into contact with it. This signifies that the crop continues to be undamaged.”

At this point, details on the asparagus is transmitted to a patented self-propelled harvesting robot. The robot picks only the asparagus that is ready to be picked in one one motion, placing it on a conveyor. The gap remaining behind in the sand mattress is then repaired, to avert the following crop from escalating curved.

Trials have shown that working with the Sparter equipment can slash the price tag of harvesting by 50 %, in aspect from savings on labour charges but also for the reason that the crop is not harmed and there is very little wastage.

“All varieties of details can be collected from the underground sensors,” provides van Vinken. “This can aid guarantee that crop yields are more predictable.” For illustration, farmers can be created aware of the need for fertilisation or irrigation at a particular time, or in a particular place of the industry.

Asparagus growers have been instrumental in the development of Sparter from the starting. “We shaped a UserGroup, created up of growers in the Netherlands and Germany,” describes van Vinken. “These farmers provided comprehensive feed-back on the development of this know-how and have also been vital in providing us with information and facts on their certain necessities, services and buying charges.”

Long run of farming

Van Vinken thinks that the Sparter innovation represents the long term of asparagus farming, especially in light-weight of the coronavirus epidemic. Growers, seriously dependent on manual labour to tend their asparagus beds, were being remaining in crisis right after borders were being shut.

“Selective harvesting in western Europe is commonly carried out by non permanent staff who appear from overseas,” describes van Vinken. “As numerous of these staff were being unable to vacation, farmers were being unable to tend their crops. In some circumstances, among 70 and eighty % of asparagus beds were being remaining unharvested.”

Another point is that manual white asparagus harvesting is weighty, actual physical and demanding do the job. Transitioning to automated selective harvesting promises to make more qualified and much better qualified jobs that concentration on equipment operation and sorting.
In spite of the issues the sector faces, Europe still represents practically one 3rd of the world’s asparagus market. Van Vinken is assured that this continues to be a rewarding market that can be created upon and improved with the application of know-how.
Certainly, SPARTerS is absolutely major the way – thanks to the results of the EU-funded job, the job workforce have also recently received an supplemental EUR three million from private resources to go on their do the job.