Original Articles Open access

Design and prototype development of a harvesting machine mower for poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plant

Authors

Published
12 February 2026
Section
Original Articles
DOI
10.4081/jae.2026.1981

Abstract

In this study, a capsule-oriented prototype machine for mechanical harvesting of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) was developed, and its design features and performance were evaluated. In Turkey, poppy cultivation is mostly conducted in small plots, and harvesting operations are generally performed manually. This situation both increases the need for labor and leads to crop losses. The prototype harvesting system was evaluated for efficiency and capsule loss under varying plant morphologies. During the design process, the physico-mechanical properties of the poppy plant were determined, and cutting blade placements and motor selections were made in accordance with these properties. The harvesting success of the machine was analyzed under different plant heights and capsule numbers through experiments conducted under laboratory and field conditions. Across 360 plant samples tested under laboratory and field conditions, the system achieved a harvesting efficiency of 92% with less than 8% capsule loss.  It was determined that the circular cutting system operated with less force and more efficiently compared to vertical cutting. In addition, the AC and DC motor systems used in the machine optimized the plant transport and capsule cutting processes by providing different speed and direction controls. The results show that the prototype machine is successful in terms of both efficiency and quality and can be applied in wider areas by integrating automatic feed systems in the future. These findings indicate that the developed cutting and brush-based transport system can reduce capsule loss more effectively than conventional single-point cutting mechanisms reported in previous studies.

Keywords

Data Availability Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  1. Başlamışli M, 2021. [Abd’nin Türkiye’ye yönelik ambargo kararına ilişkin haşhaş sorunu yerine 1974 Kıbrıs krizini ön plana çıkarma girişimi].[Article in Turkish]. Asia Minor Stud 9:695-712. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17067/asm.827640
  2. Cesur C, Eryilmaz T, Uskutoğlu T, Doğan H, Şenkal B, Sezer S, 2021. [Haşhaş tohum (Papaver somniferum L.) Yağinin biyodizel yakit özelliklerinin belirlenmesi].[Article in Turkish]. Konya J Eng Sci 9:797-808. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36306/konjes.869723
  3. Földesi D, 1992. Poppy. In L. Hornok (ed.), Cultivation and processing of medical plants. Budapest, Akadémiai Kiadó. pp. 119-128.
  4. Güngör O, 2023. [Haşhaş bitkisi için biçme düzeni parametrelerinin belirlenmesi ve elektronik kontrollü prototipinin geliştirilmesi-Determination of cutting unit parameters for poppy plant and development of an electronically controlled prototype].[PhD Thesis in Turkish]. Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Akdeniz University.
  5. Güngör O, Akinci İ, 2024. Determination of some physico-mechanical properties and critical velocity of opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum L.) ’Ofis 1’ (blue). J Tekirdag Agr Faculty 21:1213-1221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33462/jotaf.1480031
  6. Güngör O, Akinci İ, 2025. Investigation of selected physico-mechanical properties of the Office 2 (white) poppy plant. J Agr Faculty Ege Uni 62:381-390. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20289/zfdergi.1660014
  7. György Z, Alam S, Priyanka P, Németh É, 2022. Genetic diversity and relationships of opium poppy accessions based on SSR markers. Agriculture 12:1343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12091343
  8. Haciyusufoğlu AF, 2013. [Laboratuvar koşullarında haşhaş kapsül toplama sisteminin geliştirilmesi-Development of a poppy capsule harvesting system under laboratory conditions].[PhD Thesis in Turkish]. Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Adnan Menderes University.
  9. Hope E, Carins‐Murphy M, Hudson C, Baxter L, Gracie A, 2020. Opium poppy capsule growth and alkaloid production is constrained by shade during early floral development. Ann Appl Biol 176:296-307. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aab.12581
  10. Kadioğlu Y, 2007) [Uşak’ta haşhaş tarımının coğrafi özellikleri].[Article in Turkish]. Doğu Coğrafya Dergisi 12:165-186.
  11. Krošlák E, Maliar T, Nemeček P, Viskupičová J, Maliarová M, Havrlentová M, Kraic J, 2017. Antioxidant and proteinase inhibitory activities of selected poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) genotypes. Chem Biodivers 14:e1700176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cbdv.201700176
  12. Németh É, 1998. Raw material production: cultivation of poppy in the temperate zone. In J. Bernáth (Ed.), Poppy: the genus Papaver. Amsterdam, Harwood Academic Publishers. pp. 219-255.
  13. Özarslan C, Saraçoğlu T, Haciyusufoğlu AF, 2018. [Haşhaş Hasat Makinası Geliştirilmesi].[Article in Turkish]. Bilge Int J Sci and Technol Res 2:82-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.30516/bilgesci.495387
  14. Qin J, Yin Y, Liu Z, Du Y, Wang G, Zhu Z, Li Z, 2020. Optimisation of maize picking mechanism by simulation analysis and high-speed video experiments. Biosyst Eng 189:84-98. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2019.11.010
  15. Shi J, Bai Y, Diao Z, Zhou J, Yao X, Zhang B, 2023. Row detection–based navigation and guidance for agricultural robots and autonomous vehicles in row-crop fields: Methods and applications. Agronomy 13:1780. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13071780
  16. Sproll C, Perz R, Lachenmeier D, 2006. Optimized LC/MS/MS analysis of morphine and codeine in poppy seed and evaluation of their fate during food processing as a basis for risk analysis. J Agric Food Chem 54:5292-5298 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0608975
  17. Şahin Y, 2023. [Haşhaş (Papaver somniferum L.) bitkisinin kimyasal içerik, antioksidan aktivite ve asetilkolinesteraz enzim inhibisyonu özelliklerinin belirlenmesi-Determination of chemical content, antioxidant activity, and acetylcholinesterase enzyme inhibition properties of poppy (Papaver somniferum L.) plant].[Thesis in Turkish]. Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Muş Alparslan University.
  18. Toprak Mahsulleri Ofisi (TMO), 2019. [2018 yili haşhaş sektör raporu -2018 poppy sector report].]in Turckish]. General Directorate of the Turkish Grain Board. Available from: https://www.tmo.gov.tr/Upload/Document/hashassektorraporu2018.pdf
  19. Yamaguchi K, Hayashida M, Hayakawa H, Nihira M, Ohno Y, 2010. Urinary morphine and codeine concentrations after ingestion of bean-jam buns decorated with poppy seeds. Forensic Toxicol 29:69-71. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11419-010-0099-5
  20. Yanardağ Y, Day S, Bayraktar N, 2024. Characterization of capsule morphologic properties and alkaloid contents of Turkish poppy genotypes within Ankara environmental conditions. J Anim Plant Sci 34:1031-1039. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36899/japs.2024.4.0785
  21. Yücelşengün İ, Yücel E, Öztürk B, Kiliç G, 2020. [Haşhaş (Papaver somniforum) çeşitlerinin tohum yağlarının yağ asidi kompozisyonu, toplam fenolik madde miktarı, antioksidan ve antimikrobiyal aktiviteleri].[Article in Turkish]. Gida 45:954-962. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15237/gida.GD20061

Metrics

Citations and online attention from Dimensions, Altmetric and PlumX.

PlumX Metrics

License

Copyright (c) 2026 the Author(s)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.