In order to explore the appropriate method of breaking and threshing of fresh lotus seedpods, and achieve high efficiency and low damage mechanical lotus seed dewatering. The space lotus was taken as the research object in this study. The moisture content, appearance characteristics and mechanical properties of lotus seedpods with different maturity were carried out, especially focusing on the mechanical properties under shear, tensile and puncture loading method. The damage law of lotus seedpod tissue under different loading conditions were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the moisture content of lotus seeds was the highest in the lotus seed tissue, while the moisture content of the lotus seed epidermis was the lowest. Moreover, as the moisture content decreased, the moisture content of the lotus seed epidermis decreased the most significantly. Comparing the milk ripening period and wax ripening period, the appearance of lotus pods and seeds are fuller during the fully ripe period, with gaps appearing between the seeds and tissues. The shear and tensile properties of the lotus seedpods epidermis were obviously anisotropic, and the external loading mode had a significant impact on the shear and tensile rupture force. With the increase of maturity, the transverse shear rupture force and axial tensile rupture force of the epidermis increased gradually, while the longitudinal shear rupture force and transverse tensile rupture force of the epidermis had no obvious change. The loading speed had no significant effect on the shear and tensile rupture force of the epidermis. The average tensile rupture force of fiber tissues was larger at ripening stage, and there was no significant difference between milk ripening stage and wax ripening stage, and the loading speed had no significant effect on the tensile rupture force. Epidermal puncture damage of lotus seedpod was not affected by epidermal anisotropy. With the increase of maturity, the puncture rupture force of lotus seedpod decreased gradually, while the rupture force of epidermal puncture increased gradually. With the increase of the diameter of the probe, the rupture force of surface puncture and epidermal puncture increased. The loading method had the greatest influence on the loading rupture force of the epidermis, followed by maturity, and the least was loading speed. Different maturity of lotus seed epidermis could achieve less damage under external load under longitudinal shear or transverse stretching, but its anisotropic characteristics make it not universal when designing the machine. After comprehensive analysis of the three loading method, the universal mode of breaking the lotus seedpod was determined, that was, the puncture loading was applied first to destroy the lotus seed, the damage was achieved with less destructive power, and then the tensile cracking force was applied to achieve the efficient tearing of the lotus seed. The above research will provide theoretical basis for the design of fresh lotus seed peeling and threshing machine.