Machine- VS Hand-Thinning of Peaches

ABSTRACT DETAILED hand-thinning is the accepted method in the Pacific Northwest for achieving a maximum yield of large fresh-market peaches. A thinning time of 1 man-hour per tree is common. Conventional hand-thinning was compared with machine-thinning that in-cluded a follow-up cluster-thinning operation. Due to overthinning and slightly smaller fruit, the harvest yield from the machine-thinned trees averaged 68.8 percent of the yield from the hand-thinned trees. The grower's revenue from hand-thinned fruit was $38.31/tree. Com-pared with detailed hand-thinning, machine-thinning followed by pole-thinning produced a 78.5 percent time saving, but reduced the return by $3.21/tree. In turn, detailed hand-thinning compared with machine-thinning followed by hand-thinning produced a 57 percent time saving, but reduced the return by $4.48/tree.