Photovoltaic Prickle Pear Harvesting Tool

Abstract

Mexico is the largest cactus exporter of the world and 40% of the production cost is provided from the harvest operation. Many workers are required to operate daily and suffer wrist pain after two weeks of collecting pears with mechanical pruners. A motor driven tool supplied from a photovoltaic system was employed for harvesting; different blades were tested at different cutting speeds. It was found that toothed blades sliced the pears with efficiencies over 90%. Abrasive blades were finally selected as the current required per cut was minimum, permitting a longer battery lifetime before requiring recharging.

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F. Hahn, "Photovoltaic Prickle Pear Harvesting Tool," Natural Resources, Vol. 4 No. 3, 2013, pp. 263-265. doi: 10.4236/nr.2013.43033.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

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