Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1187394
A L M O N D O R C H A R D 2 0 2 5 G O A L S HARVEST DUST 4 "At the end of the day, what we were really after is finding ways to reduce dust during the busiest time of almond season while also finding the most effective, efficient ways to evaluate reductions in dust levels," Capareda said. Mike Flora is the director of engineering at Flory Industries, the Modesto-based equipment manufacturer that participated in this research project. "We've been participating in research with the Almond Board for a long time and were excited to be a part of this specific piece of research," Flora said. Flora said the California almond industry stands to benefit from the knowledge gained in this research, and he hopes as a result of this study the industry will have several low-cost methods of measuring dust reduction that can be utilized by various industry stakeholders. "As an example, I would hope that drones installed with PM samplers could be approved for testing so a grower or manufacturer could reference that technology to determine what efficient practices and technologies are producing the least amount of dust, and adjust harvesting practices as needed throughout August and September," Flora said. Combination of methods = best results To conduct this research in comparing dust measurement methods as well as different harvesting techniques, Capareda and his team used a control group with an older model harvester driven at 3 mph with the blower set at 1,500 rpm. The data from the control group was compared against that of the experimental group that featured newer low-dust equipment driven at 3 and 5 mph, with fans set at varying speeds and head heights adjusted throughout the research trial. Not surprisingly, Capareda found the greatest dust reduction occurred when no fans were used. "Eliminating the fan blower will reduce visible dust emissions by an average of around 61.5 percent," he said. Based on his 2018 study, Capareda believes dust can be best reduced with a combination of these management practices: f Proper preparation of windrow pile (excellent crown), f Proper preparation of orchard floor (free of grasses and debris), f Proper equipment adjustment in terms of fan speed (as low as possible), lower harvester speed (close to 3 mph or less) and proper setting of depth of harvester head (not too low and not too high). In Capareda's view, one long-term solution to reduce harvest dust on the nearly 1.2 million bearing acres of almonds in California would be to consistently upgrade and replace old equipment with newer low-dust machinery. Capareda recommends that growers aggressively apply for financial incentives offered by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and National Resources Conservation Service. Together, he said, these government groups provide about $5 million per year in grants to help defray a portion of the cost of new harvesting equipment. "If they haven't used a low-dust harvester on their operation before, growers should definitely consider applying to either one of these programs," Roseman said. For more information on Capareda's research and other Almond Board-funded research on harvest dust reduction, industry members are encouraged to attend The Almond Conference 2019 at Cal Expo in Sacramento this December. More information is available online at AlmondConference.com. According to Capareda, drones installed with PM samplers provide a good, relatively quick way to determine visible dust levels.