Design and prototype development of a harvesting machine mower for poppy (<i>Papaver somniferum</i> L.) plant

In this study, a capsule-oriented prototype machine for mechanical harvesting of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) was developed, and its design features and performance were evaluated. In Turkey, poppy cultivation is mostly conducted in small plots, and harvesting operations are generally performed manually. This situation both increases the need for labor and leads to crop losses. The prototype harvesting system was evaluated for efficiency and capsule loss under varying plant morphologies. During the design process, the physico-mechanical properties of the poppy plant were determined, and cutting blade placements and motor selections were made in accordance with these properties. The harvesting success of the machine was analyzed under different plant heights and capsule numbers through experiments conducted under laboratory and field conditions. Across 360 plant samples tested under laboratory and field conditions, the system achieved a harvesting efficiency of 92% with less than 8% capsule loss. It was determined that the circular cutting system operated with less force and more efficiently compared to vertical cutting. In addition, the AC and DC motor systems used in the machine optimized the plant transport and capsule cutting processes by providing different speed and direction controls. The results show that the prototype machine is successful in terms of both efficiency and quality and can be applied in wider areas by integrating automatic feed systems in the future. These findings indicate that the developed cutting and brush-based transport system can reduce capsule loss more effectively than conventional single-point cutting mechanisms reported in previous studies.