Current status and future trends in mechanized harvesting systems for wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.)¹

Situação atual e perspectivas futuras em sistemas mecanizados de colheita de Wolfberry (Lycium barbarum L.)

Wolfberry originates from China and is mainly distributed across temperate and subtropical regions. Currently, wolfberry is predominantly harvested manually, which presents significant challenges, such as high labor intensity, low picking efficiency, and high cost. With the advancement of agricultural automation, mechanized wolfberry harvesting has become an inevitable trend and a research hotspot. In recent years, scholars have made numerous innovative attempts to develop wolfberry harvesting machinery, but a systematic review of these technologies and devices is still scarce. Therefore, this review comprehensively examines the cultivation characteristics and harvesting challenges of wolfberries. It categorizes and elaborates on the research status and progress of various mechanized harvesting devices based on their working principles and structural designs. It also discusses the challenges confronting the development of mechanized wolfberry harvesting technology. Finally, it reviews several promising research directions, including vibration-pneumatic hybrid harvesting systems, non-contact harvesting methods utilizing pulsed vortex-ring airflow, and differentiated precision harvesting approaches integrating visual recognition technology. This review aims to provide a crucial reference for the future development of mechanized wolfberry harvesting technology and equipment.

Key words:
mechanical harvesting; vibration systems; pneumatic technology; agricultural automation; selective picking

Mechanisms governing fruit-branch interactions were determined in wolfberry tree during harvesting operations.

Vibration-type, comb-and-brush-type, pneumatic, and hybrid wolfberry harvesting systems were categorized. Proposed novel approaches including vibration-air composite systems and others for selective harvesting.