25
F
f
rui t Tree
h
arvest ing
F
Optical gradingsystem
The
f
leuren family continues to seek new technologies to
improve the quality of itsmaterial, andwe saw a couple of
new systems on trial for the first time this season.
Developed in conjunctionwithCoenders, the first is an
optical grading system that determines stem thickness at a
height of 50cm from the root.
f
itted to the side of the
harvester pulledby the newest Steyr 6185, the prototype
was used in two fields this season. They are seeking a
stemdiameter of 17mm for apple trees, and results from
the first fieldwe saw confirmed that 90-95% of young trees
met the requirements.
The results are encouraging, and the company is
contemplating fitting a similar system to the other two
harvesters. The technique provides a hint as towhere the
business is heading in the future; and the fact that each
tree’s location in the two fields ismappedprovides a further
clue. The information is processedby YannickSmedts,
who heads
f
leuren’s precision farmingdepartment. Yannick
compares the resultswith those of a field soil conductivity
map to see if there is a link between stemdiameter and soil
type and condition. “
w
e hope the informationwill provide a
way topredict how a treewill perform in a certain field,” he
says.
Currently, young trees are planted in alternate row spacings
T
he
frui
TG
rower
•
JAN
u
A
r
Y 2017
Soil Preparation
usingour spadingmachine
- aerates the soil & enhances rooting
PAS 100Compost
- supply,delivery & spreading
- providesmacronutrients µnutrients
- improves rooting potential
on
07738 728119
or visit
Enhance your orchard’s potential
with services fromFGSOrganics
Stanford Bridge Farm, Station Road, Pluckley,Ashford,KentTN27 0RU
