Design of a Plastic Mulch Remover Implement in Mexican Pineapple Production in a Protected Environment

Ana Daniela Espinoza Serrano

Chapingo Autonomous University, Mexico

Abstract: Pineapple cultivation is considered one of the most important in Mexico, since approximately 999 thousand tons have been obtained, according to the records of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development until 2019, the production of this fruit in the country has a consumption annual per capita of 6.9 kilograms and a commercial value of around 2.9 billion pesos where the main producing States are Veracruz, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Quintana Roo and Jalisco, representing 92.3% of the total production in the Mexican territory. In recent years, two management systems have been used for this crop, the first based on “bare soil” production, which is simply an open cycle where there is no protection for the fruit and the plant; while the second is done through the use of plastic mulch that is mainly based on protecting the soil and the plant with the fruits. With the use of this last system, great benefits, higher yield, productivity and low cost have been found, unlike the cultivation in open field, however, as of 2018 a great deterioration in the soil of the producing regions of pineapple was observed in the country and one of the main reasons is due to the remains of plastic mulch that remain in the soil after being removed at the end of each cycle and that over the years prevents the optimal growth of the pineapple, so the aim is to solve this problem and avoid the continuation of soil deterioration as little as possible. This article refers to the design of an agricultural implement of machine with the ability to completely remove and triturate the plastic mulch used for growing pineapple, thus avoiding the continuation of crop losses due to damaged soil.

Key words: plastic mulch, crop, agricultural implement, farming, environment, machinery