A citrus harvesting labor tracking and yield mapping system

A labor tracking and yield mapping system for manual citrus harvesting was developed and evaluated in two commercial harvesting operations in Florida. The system consisted of button recognition and barcode units, integrated w ith a differential global positioning system (DGPS) unit mounted on a truck , which was used to handle fruit collection containers (tub or bin) in the citrus grove. When the truck operator stopped to load each full tub or bin, the button and barcode of the harvester who filled the container was activ ated. This action recorded the number or name assigned to the harvester and the DGPS location of the container The button unit was more reliable and w as designed with an audible (alarm) and a visible (light) feedback to provi de the truck operator verification of the recorded information. The system tallied the number of containers each harvester had harvested for the day a nd allowed the entry of other information pertinent to the harvesting opera tion. The DGPS data were used to map the yields with ArcView software. Fiel d tests showed the labor tracking system was reliable and user friendly.