Abstract

Pepper has been the second important income source of Korean farmer. Provided the agricultural market in Korea is opened, pepper of which price is more than three times of the world market price can not survive with current cultivation practice. Pepper harvesters have been developed in some countries but, they are not feasible in Korea due to difference of varieties, cultivation practice and climate between Korea and other countries. This is a fundamental study to develop a pepper harvester suitable to the current situation in Korea. Physical properties of a pepper plant and its fruit were investigated. Also, a pair of open helices was selected as a pepper removing mechanism and tested to determine the best operating conditions. This study revealed that a pepper harvester with more than 90% of pepper recovery is attainable. Best rotating speed of open helices with 30cm diameter and conveying velocity of pepper main stem were determined to be 180 rpm and 0.1 m/s respectively.

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