High cost and unavailability of labor for hand harvest has resulted in domestic green chile production declining even as consumption grows. Mechanization is clearly necessary, but has resisted four decades of research and development. In these trials five picking mechanisms were tested in five cultivars in two fields in New Mexico in 2008. Harvest efficiency was 41% to 88%, with 11% to 48% mechanical damage, for a net collection of marketable fruit that ranged from 26% to 78% of total yield. An inclined counter-rotating double open-helix design with a low relative tip speed and a clear product path had both the highest harvest efficiency and lowest fruit damage.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Funk et al. (2010) studied this question.