Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Agricultural Engineering, cilt.57, sa.2, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In this study, a capsule-oriented prototype machine for the mechanical harvesting of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) was developed, and its design characteristics and harvesting performance were evaluated. In Turkey, poppy cultivation is predominantly carried out on small-scale plots, and harvesting operations are generally performed manually, resulting in increased labor requirements and con-siderable crop losses. The prototype harvesting system was assessed in terms of harvesting efficiency and capsule loss under varying plant morphological characteristics. During the design process, the physico-mechanical properties of the poppy plant were deter-mined, and the cutting blade configuration and motor selection were optimized accordingly. The harvesting performance of the machine was further analyzed under different plant heights and capsule numbers through experiments conducted under both laboratory and field conditions. Based on tests performed on 360 plant samples under laboratory and field conditions, the system achieved a harvesting efficiency of 92%, with capsule losses remaining below 8%. The circular cutting mechanism was found to require lower cutting force and to operate more efficiently than the vertical cutting system. In addition, the AC and DC motor systems integrated into the machine improved the plant conveying and capsule cutting processes by enabling variable speed and directional control. The results demonstrate that the developed prototype machine performs successfully in terms of both operational efficiency and harvesting quality. Furthermore, its applicability to larger-scale operations could be enhanced in the future through the integration of auto-matic feeding systems. These findings indicate that the developed cutting and brush-based conveying mechanism can reduce capsule loss more effectively than conventional single-point cutting mechanisms reported in previous studies.