Shake-harvested grapefruit … type of removal … fruit injury … pruning

Coachella valley grapefruit have been successfully shake harvested with a removal rate of 90 to 98%. The inertia limb shaker developed by USDA personnel will remove the most fruit with the least damage when operated in short bursts of five to eight strokes at 325 to 350 cycles per minute, with a 3%-inch stroke at the shaker clamp. Injury can occur to the fruit as it swings against twigs and branches before detachment and as it strikes limbs and twigs during its fall through the tree to the catching frame.