Thesis Abstract

Harvesting of fruits and vegetables is traditionally done manually which is a labor intensive and time consuming process. It also leads to post-harvest losses due to improper handling. The proposed project aims to design equipment for mechanized harvesting of select fruits and vegetables. Various harvesting mechanisms like cutters, shakers, pickers etc. will be evaluated. Prototypes of equipment will be developed for harvesting tomatoes, beans and mangoes. Performance tests will be conducted to analyze harvesting efficiency, damage to produce, and energy requirements. A working model of the most suitable equipment design will be fabricated. The equipment is expected to reduce harvesting time and costs while improving quality.

Thesis Overview