Harvesting Blueberries

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Harvesting Blueberries

There are primarily two methods used in blueberry harvesting: Rake -harvesting and machine-harvesting.

In rake harvesting, the harvesters use a rake to accumulate blueberries of up to one thousand pounds in a day.

This method requires a participation of several individuals for the completion of the harvest. On the other hand, to complete the harvest with a machine, a tractor is needed because it is where the harvester is mounted.

Also, it requires two individuals to complete the harvest. One individual operates the tractor, while another rides on the back of the harvester.

Often, a tractor can be powered by thirty-five horsepower, which in turn, can power up the motor of a self-contained hydraulic system of the harvester.

The harvester will strip the bushes of the blueberry fruits with a meter-wide harvesting head. If the blueberry shrubs are free of weeds and the ground does not have rocks, harvesting blueberries with a harvester can accomplish up to 3 acres per ten hours per day.

Native to Northeastern North America, blueberries can be grown in many different ways. Its distinct method of production is designed because of the biology of the plant and because it is a natural plant found in North America, where most of them are grown in the wild.

Wild blueberries, also called lowbush blueberries are not planted, but rather developed from an existing plant. They are known as wild blueberries because they come from fields consisting of managed native plants.

Their scientific name is V. angustifolium, and wild blueberries are among the plant’s three major species.

Wild blueberries are dwarf bushes; they are cold and hardy and can survive as far north as the Arctic North America. Harvesting of lowbush species is not very difficult as the shrub’s maximum height is two feet.

They are also commonly found in Minnesota, the mountains of New York and New Hampshire.

In contrast, cultivated or Northern highbush blueberries are grown and managed in a manner identical to raising an orchard. Highbush blueberries are abundant in the wild forests in North America.

In the present time, they are grown in more than 38 states in North America and some provinces in Canada, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, harvesting blueberries can accumulate up to 42,000 metric tons each year.

The Southern Rabbiteye blueberries thrive in the southern regions of the United States. This blueberry is named as such because of its calyx resembling the eye of the rabbit.

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