The detachment force required to remove fruits from branches of two olive cultivars was determined experimentally using the Instron Tensile Tester with specially-modified adapters. The effect of spraying Zibar, a by-product of the olive extraction process, on reducing detachment force was studied. The test results showed that the larger fruit size cultivar (Nabali Ros ie) has lower force-weight ratio (F/W) and hence it is more suitable for mechanical harvesting by shaking. Zibar showed significantreduction on F/W of the Nabali Rosie cultivar improving the suitability for mechanical harvesting.
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