Title:
Semi-Mechanical Harvesting of Jatropha (Jatropha Curcas L.) in Morocco
Author(s):
Pari, L., Suardi, A., Outzourhit, A., Ouhammou, A., Babahmad, R., Gallucci, F., Santangelo, E.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
Harvesting of Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) is a challenging issue owing to the presence of ripe and unripe fruits on the same bunch. Although widely diffused,the manual collection is labor-demanding. Several machines for fully mechanized harvesting are available, but their sustainability is debatable. The use of a semi-mechanical approach can be an affordable solution. Within the 4-year demonstration project JatroMed, CREA-ING analyzed modified pickers mounting different type of rake. A first study carried out in Morocco was aimed at analyzing the applicability of the method and evaluating the efficiency of different combinations rake/beating speed. A commercial olive picker with pneumatic system was used. Two beating's speeds (S1 and S2) per three different rakes (R1, R2 and R3) were tested on cultivar Michoacan in order to determine the most suitable combination to harvest jatropha fruits. The number of fallen leaves was adopted as discriminating parameter for identifying the less damaging combination. Then the best rake-speed combination was tested also on JCL Max, QVP and Mali varieties.All the treatments (rake/speed) allowed to harvest the ripe fruits of the cultivar Michoacán. However, the combination R1-S1 showed the lowest number of fallen leaves and the treatment R3-S2 assured the highest percentage of unfallen unripe fruits. From these first evidences emerges that the semi-mechanical harvesting through rakes is suitable for the collection of ripe fruits of Jatropha and it is independent from the type of rake used. For a selective harvest, however, the integration of the system with the physiological traits of the variety is highlydesirable.
Keywords:
biodiesel, developing countries, harvesting, oil, physic nut
Topic:
Biomass Resources
Subtopic:
Biomass crops and energy grasses
Event:
24th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
1CO.5.3
Pages:
143 - 146
ISBN:
978-88-89407-165
Paper DOI:
10.5071/24thEUBCE2016-1CO.5.3
Price:
FREE
