Effects of Different Harvesting Times on Physico-Mechanical Properties of Sour Cherry (Prunus cerasus L.)

Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus L.), is a fruit species of Prunus in the subgenus cerasus in Rosaceae (Rosaceae) family. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but it has a more acidic fruit. Two major cherry tree varieties are grown in Turkey. One of them is ’Kutahya’ cherry which suitable for use with all types of fruit and the other one is ‘Hungarian Cherry’ cultivation has spread to all regions of Turkey, although commercial aquaculture has been limited areas which are suitable climatic conditions. In Turkey, the most labor force is in harvesting was determined in sour cherry studies concerning the production process. In addition, the sour cherry harvesting constitutes of 30–60% of total production costs. Harvesting process is emerged as the most important factor determining in the cost of production. Therefore, basic research has to be made for cherries and system use in mechanical harvesting operation. In this study, some physico-mechanical properties were determined for mechanical harvesting of two cherries (‘Kutahya’ and ‘Hungarian Cherry’) in four different harvesting times. These properties are such as dimensions, projection area, fruit hardness, picking force of fruit stalk, picking force of fruit from stalk. To determine these parameters, an apparatus consisting of a load cell, and slot was used. The knowledge on these parameters is important for the development of new technological equipment and for reducing the losses occurred in sour cherry production.