A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study explores how insights into fruit detachment can lead to the mechanization of harvesting. The research aims to reduce manual labor costs.

UF/IFAS horticultural sciences assistant professor Tie Liu and UF/IFAS horticultural sciences associate professor Ali Sarkhosh analyzed the fruit detachment force in muscadine grapes, identifying genes that make the fruit easier to pick from the stem.

The high labor costs of harvesting muscadines, which are native to Florida, make them expensive compared to other fruits. Mechanizing the harvesting process could lower costs and improve efficiency.

The study focused on the pedicel, the small stalk connecting the fruit to the stem, and identified key genes involved in fruit detachment. By reducing the detachment force, new grape varieties could be developed for mechanical harvesting. This research may apply to other crops, such as tomatoes and wine grapes.

Read more on the mechanization of fruit harvesting here.