Framework to develop the mechanisation of date palm cultivation

The trends in the mechanisation of date palm production were reviewed and five key obstacles were identified: structural heterogeneity, impact of economic and social factors, changing nature of production cycle, lack of innovation in crown access, and the lack of mechanisation indices. A general date palm mechanisation framework was developed which could help understanding and studying the obstacles to mechanisation and derive factors through the principal concepts of revenue loss and availability of the skilled palm tree climbing workers. Increasing the rate of operation rate with fewer workers would advance date palm production. This trend could be encouraged through lower machinery costs and higher worker safety. Potential advantages of ground-based mechanisation methods are presented through analytical formulation of crown access methods. The ground-based approach appears to be more efficient than conventional approaches using palm climbing or elevating because it simplifies the three-dimensional nature of the working environment into less complex two dimensions. Ground-based methods have limitations due to the increased difficulty of operating in crown zone with increasing palm height. An operational index was defined to help develop the mechanisation of date palm cultivation. The index can reveal the height limits affordability for any date palm mechanisation systems. For each specific mechanisation operation there could be a minimum or maximum height limit and/or a height gap. (C) 2016 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.