Objective(s):
Provide current research results in the areas of cultivar development, pre-harvest cultural practices, and postharvest quality and shelf life as related to mechanical harvesting of blueberries for fresh markets.

Harvest labor represents the single greatest production cost for hand-harvested blueberries. Efforts to reduce production costs through mechanized harvesting are underway but present challenges with regards to berry quality, postharvest shelf life, and harvest efficiency. This workshop will address the following topics with regards to mechanical harvesting of blueberry for fresh markets: 1) cultivar characteristics that are compatible with current mechanical harvesting technologies; 2) cultural practices that facilitate efficient mechanical harvesting; 3) major points of impact to berries during mechanical harvesting; and 4) berry quality during storage.