Research Article

Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture

Volume: 23 Number: 2 March 16, 2026
TR EN

Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the strain, stress, and resulting ergonomic risks experienced by workers during the manual harvest of cluster tomatoes grown in greenhouses. Türkiye ranks among the top three tomato producers, with tomato production varying from year to year, at approximately 13 million tons. Of this total, approximately 4.1 million tons are grown in greenhouses. Tomato cultivation contributes significantly to the national economy in both domestic and international markets. The harvesting accounts for the largest share of labor and time in the cultivation of agricultural products. In Türkiye, greenhouse farming is predominantly carried out manually due to inadequate physical conditions, lack of mechanization, and other factors. While harvesting varies depending on the task, workers often work in unusual and awkward postures. Furthermore, ripening times for tomatoes can vary depending on the variety, preventing the harvest from being completed in a single harvest. Consequently, the work performed and postures adopted during harvest are constantly repeated. Although the fruits are hand-picked during tomato harvest, this is undesirable because it damages the flesh and reduces the fruit's value. For this reason, pruning shears are widely used during harvesting. The primary manual tasks in tomato harvesting include cutting the fruit from the bunches, placing them in crates, and transporting the crates to the storage area. During this process, workers maintain five different workstations while cutting the tomato bunches: kneeling, bending forward, squatting, standing, and reaching upward. Workers' working postures were recorded during harvesting, and the AWBA scoring scale, developed for agricultural use, was used. Accordingly, of the five workstations, reaching upward picking was found to be the highest, while other postures were found to have a high risk score. The high ergonomic risk, the repetitive movements, and the greenhouse climate during harvesting were found to be sufficient to cause musculoskeletal disorders in workers. Some simple mechanization recommendations have been developed to reduce the ergonomic risk score. It is considered important and necessary to implement and test these recommendations.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

There is no need to obtain permission from the ethics committee for this study.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Green-House Technologies, Agricultural Machine Systems

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

March 16, 2026

Submission Date

March 25, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 4, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 23 Number: 2

APA
Uğurlutepe, K. M., & Sauk, H. (2026). Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi, 23(2), 601-609. https://doi.org/10.33462/jotaf.1665487
AMA
1.Uğurlutepe KM, Sauk H. Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;23(2):601-609. doi:10.33462/jotaf.1665487
Chicago
Uğurlutepe, Kübra Meriç, and Hüseyin Sauk. 2026. “Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture”. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi 23 (2): 601-9. https://doi.org/10.33462/jotaf.1665487.
EndNote
Uğurlutepe KM, Sauk H (March 1, 2026) Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi 23 2 601–609.
IEEE
[1]K. M. Uğurlutepe and H. Sauk, “Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture”, Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 601–609, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.33462/jotaf.1665487.
ISNAD
Uğurlutepe, Kübra Meriç - Sauk, Hüseyin. “Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture”. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi 23/2 (March 1, 2026): 601-609. https://doi.org/10.33462/jotaf.1665487.
JAMA
1.Uğurlutepe KM, Sauk H. Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;23:601–609.
MLA
Uğurlutepe, Kübra Meriç, and Hüseyin Sauk. “Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture”. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 2, Mar. 2026, pp. 601-9, doi:10.33462/jotaf.1665487.
Vancouver
1.Kübra Meriç Uğurlutepe, Hüseyin Sauk. Ergonomic Analysis of TomatoHarvesting in Greenhouse Agriculture. Tekirdağ Ziraat Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026 Mar. 1;23(2):601-9. doi:10.33462/jotaf.1665487