INFLUENCE OF HARVESTER TYPE AND HARVESTING TIME ON QUALITY OF HARVESTED CHAMOMILE

This paper is the result of studying effects of mechanical chamomile harvesting on yield and quality of harvested chamomile. Chamomile (Chamomilla recutita (L) Rausch.) was harvested at three time intervals (T1 – 240 days, T2 – 250 days and T3 – 260 days after sowing) by three conceptually different harvesters. The results achieved indicate that the harvester type significantly influences quality of harvested chamomile, whereas it is not influenced by chamomile harvesting time. Quality of harvested chamomile was classified into four categories, and it was observed that the greater number of rotations of a picking device increased the content of the first category of quality. The harvester A achieved 54.79% of the first category of quality in respect to the harvester B achieving 50.26% and the harvester C with 42.93%.