Abstract
We have developed a potato haulm remover for use before harvesting that leads to higher yields of superior-grade potatoes. In the process of designing this machine, we investigated the characteristics of several common potato cultivars, including stem length and the power needed to pull out the plant. We report the results here. We also studied the effects of different haulm removal methods on the rate of damage to the potato skins. In plots where only the haulm was shredded before harvest, the rate of superior-grade potatoes was 72.2 %, whereas in plots processed using our developed machine, which pulls out both haulms and stolons, the rate of superior-grade potatoes was 95.8 %. Our test results indicate that the use of our developed machine, which pulls out both haulms and stolons, results in less surface damage to the potatoes and thus a better yield.
