Machine Harvestable Tomatillo Breeding for Mechanical Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current tomatillo varieties are not suitable for mechanical harvesting, requiring labor-intensive manual harvesting and additional processing steps, which increases costs for growers and processors.
Innovation Solution
Development of tomatillo plants with a determinate growth habit, bush type growth habit, and early concentrated fruit set ideotype, allowing for machine harvestability and reducing the need for husk removal before processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual harvesting is used for existing tomatillo varieties, then the fruits can be harvested, but labor costs are much higher and multiple harvesting crews are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the plant's growth habit parameter from indeterminate to determinate. This fundamental parameter change enables the plant to set fruits in a concentrated manner within a specific time window, making the crop suitable for mechanical harvesting and dramatically reducing labor requirements while maintaining productivity
2Productivity
If existing tomatillo varieties with indeterminate growth habit are grown, then continuous fruit set occurs, but mechanical harvesting is not possible and requires multiple manual harvest crews
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the growth habit parameter from indeterminate to determinate, which fundamentally alters the fruit set pattern. This parameter change concentrates fruit development into a specific timeframe, creating a uniform crop that can be efficiently harvested by mechanical equipment in a single pass
3Ease of manufacture
If processors buy tomatillo fruits with husk, then the fruits can be purchased, but additional de-husking cost is added to the production cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing the husk from the tomatillo fruit through breeding. The selected varieties naturally produce fruits without husks, extracting the problematic husk structure from the system and eliminating the need for separate de-husking operations in processing facilities
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides tomatillo ideotypes and tomatillo plants with machine harvestable traits combined with desirable agronomic traits. The present invention also provides methods of making such plants and methods of using such plants to produce additional machine harvestable tomatillo plants.