2025 Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages 221-229
High efficiency and labor-saving chestnut harvesting is crucial for maintaining and expanding production in Japan, where the number of growers is declining and workforce is aging rapidly. Mechanized harvesting offers promising solutions for managing large-scale fields. Despite their widespread adoption in Europe, one of the world’s main production areas, these methods are not prevalent in Japan owing to the poor suitability of available machines, which are generally too large for Japanese field conditions. We evaluated the efficiency and fruit quality when using two types of small harvesters: self-propelled and tractor-mounted (vacuum), potentially suitable for smaller fields. Self-propelled harvesters manufactured in Japan and Turkey achieved chestnut picking success rates of 80–90% (depending on vehicle speed) and 75%, respectively. Harvest efficiency was correlated positively with the density of matured, fallen fruits, irrespective of the machine type. When combined with a bur-removing machine, mechanized harvesting increased efficiency by 2.2 to 4.0 times compared with hand-picking. The Japanese self-propelled machine exhibited the best performance, maintaining fruit quality without any significant deterioration during two-month storage at nearly 0°C. Overall, this study demonstrated that mechanized harvesting can contribute to reduction of the working hours necessary for chestnut cultivation in Japan without compromising fruit quality under field conditions.
