The carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) is a typical tree of the arid Mediterranean, and its cultivation contributes to the sustainability of local agroecosystems. In recent years, the economic and environmental importance of the carob tree has grown due to its use as a raw material in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. It also plays an ecological role in conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainable agricultural systems by improving cultivation and mechanization strategies. Currently, national carob groves are facing competition from other more profitable crops such as olive, citrus, almond and horticultural systems. This has led to the marginalization of carob cultivation in several Mediterranean rural areas and increased the need to modernize and mechanize harvesting to enhance the potential of carob and its derived products. This study aimed to investigate the physical characteristics of the fruit (weight, length, width and fruit detachment force) in relation to the degree of ripeness, with the objective of providing useful information on the optimal harvesting period and introducing semi-mechanical harvesting systems.
Gallucci et al. (Sat,) studied this question.