Analysis of the performance of onion harvester in the onion cultivation environment of Gyeongsangnam-do

Onion cultivation in Korea faces challenges in mechanization due to small-scale farming plots, sloped terrains, and varying cultivation methods across different regions. Onion farming is conducted in both upland fields and paddy fields. The objective of this study is to evaluate and analyze the performance of commercial onion harvesters in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, one of the major onion-producing areas. In this study, two representative digging-type harvesters were tested in both upland and paddy field environments, with work efficiency and loss rate selected as performance indicators. The comparison of harvester performance in upland fields showed that harvester A and B had work efficiencies of 0.157 ha/h and 0.153 ha/h, respectively, with loss rates of 0.28% and 1.11%, indicating that Harvester A performed better. In the paddy field, the work efficiencies of harvester A and B were 0.167 ha/h and 0.24 ha/h, respectively, with harvester B performing better. The loss rates were 0.42% and 0.55%, respectively. These findings are expected to provide valuable insights for the development of harvesters optimized for specific field conditions.