One of the key moments of the year for cherry growers is the intense summer harvest period, as there are a number of determining factors for achieving good results, including: the supply and demand of labor in the area, climatic factors, heat and exposure of the fruit to the sun, coordination of large teams of people, the cleanliness of the general harvesting process and the quality of the fruit in the orchard.
One of the main points to take into account during the harvest is the general care that must be taken at all times to obtain the best possible result. In this sense, it is important to always ensure a series of good practices, among which are, for example:
-Correct way of removing cherries from the tree: It is very important to emphasize and rectify through direct and constant supervision the correct way of removing cherries from trees, since pressure should never be applied to the fruit but rather it should be removed using the fingers and having direct contact with the pedicel.
-Presence of leaves: the presence of leaves inside containers with fruit must be avoided at all costs, since they can contaminate the fruit and hinder the selection process and other slaughter processes.
- Darts: There should be no darts present in boxes with fruit, as these can crush the cherry.
-Selection of the fruit on the tree: Undoubtedly, harvesters always want to perform to the maximum when they are in the process, but that should not be a reason for not looking carefully at the fruit that is being harvested. In this sense, it is very important that the first selection of the fruit is at the time of its direct extraction from the tree and that the good quality cherry is avoided being mixed with the discarded ones.
It is very important to ensure that these and similar principles are followed, and it is key not only to comment on and discuss them but also to make them part of the harvest culture, where it is not something that is only followed under supervision but is the natural way of working.
The above, combined with other good practices, will allow for a high-standard harvest where fruit care is a priority.
