Design and Evaluation of a Manually Operated Kaji Lemon Plucker

The Kaji lemons (Citrus limon var. Kaji) is a citrus variety that is important in Northeast India. It is hard to harvest because its canopy is high and its fruit is sensitive. The aim of this study was to design, fabricate, and evaluate a manually operated Kaji Lemon Plucker (MKLP) that is comfortable to use, works well, and causes the least amount of damage while picking fruit. The MKLP features a hand-lever mechanism, a spring-loaded cutting jaw, an optional rubber gripper, a stainless-steel cutting blade, and a fruit-gathering basket that slides inside the cutting jaw. The component design was based on a thorough morphological examination of the fruit. Field testing examined the amount of fruit that could be gathered, the speed at which it could be completed, and the extent of tree damage. With an average plucking time of 11.8 seconds per fruit and an average harvesting pace of 6.4 to 9.0 kg/h, over 91% of the fruit was still intact. When compared to manual approaches, this reduced the operating time by over half. Fruit quality retention and efficiency improved statistically significantly, according to ANOVA. The tool's low cost (about Rs. 600), ease of use, and sturdy design suggest that smallholder farmers could use it to improve post-harvest results in citrus farming.