Economic Comparison of Selective and Nonselective Mechanical Harvesting of Asparagus

ABSTRACT

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is normally harvested by hand. The use of mechanical harvesters might provide an opportunity to improve harvest quality. Selective and nonselective asparagus mechanical harvesters were compared to manual harvesting at different levels of efficiency to determine what is more profitable for producers. Three critical aspects of the mechanical harvesters were identified: collection rate, collateral damage, and damage to spears harvested. A bioeconomic model was used to determine the impact on profits and harvested yields. The selective mechanical harvester (with 80% collection rate, 5% collateral damage, and 5% of spears harvested damaged) produced a profit of $1,497·ha⁻¹; slightly lower than the profit for manual harvesting ($1,666·ha⁻¹). Use of a nonselective mechanical harvester is suitable only when a market for processed product exists. A selective mechanical harvester can provide profitability similar to manual harvesting.

KEYWORDS:

• Asparagus officinalis
• bioeconomic model
• economic analysis
• mechanical harvesting
• nonselective harvesting
• selective harvesting