Being conscious of the inlportance of these problems, the Institute for the Improvement of Sugarcane initiated, in the year 1973, the organization

Transcription

1 Agricultural Engineering EVALUATON OF MECHANCAL SUGARCANE HARVESTERS N MEXCO Efrtn Zamorano Cruz nstituto para el Mejoramiento de la Producci6n de Azucar, Mtxico, DF, Mtxico ABSTRACT This paper reports the results of two experiments: the first on the ^determination of sugarcane extraneous material and the second on the determination of industrial cane left on the field, comparing the work performed by two types of combine whole cane harvesters and the system commonly used in the sugarcane areas of Mkxico, namely hand cutting and mechanized grabloading. n this study, randomised bands each of 3 ha were established with the corresponding treatments and four replications. To sample the impurities, 100 to 150 kg samples were taken at random in three different sites for each band. To measure the cane left on the field 3 samples per plot were made in areas of 60 sq m per sample site. The machines evaluated were the Claas Libertadora 1400 and Massey Ferguson 201 harvesters and the Thomson grab. The results obtained favour the mechanical grab over the combine machines. n the comparison between the Claas Libertadora and the Massey Ferguson Harvesters, the latter was more favorable. NTRODUCTON As a consequence of increasing outlay on agriculture, the costs of sugarcane production are also increasing, and for this reason it is necessary, by other means, to increase the productivity of existing agriculture equipment in all the sugarcane fields administered by the mills of the country. On the other hand, year by year it has been observed that the problem of engaging cutters, in the numbers required to satisfy the needs for suppling the raw matter to the mills, has become acute. This has resulted in increased costs for cutting and grab loading, low productivity and deficiency in these operations, no cane on the batey yf some mills, mainly at the beginning and end of the week, long harvesting periods with the consequence of processing cane out of its optimal point of industrial maturity and, in some cases, leaving cane in the fields. Being conscious of the inlportance of these problems, the nstitute for the mprovement of Sugarcane initiated, in the year 1973, the organization

2 2040 AGRCULTURAL ENGNEERNG of the Agriculture Machinery Department and, in the same year, the experimental tests and the acquisition oi harvest equipments were begun in the influence zone of Santa Rosalia Factory, Tabasco State. MATERALS AND METHODS n areas of 36 and 24 hectares in the influence zone of Santa Rosalia Factory, the harvest equipment was evaluated; in the first plot of 36 hectares two combine machines and the machine grab were compared, and in the second plot of 24 hectares the comparison was between the two combine machines. The trial consisted of random bands of 3.0 hectares in which the harvest treatments each had 4 replications. From 3 random sites samples of 100 to 150 kg cane were examined for impurities. To measure the cane left in the field (crop stalks not carried to the mill) 3 sample areas per plot, each of 60 sq m, were examined. The harvesting equipment evaluated consisted of the Claas Libertadora 1400, Massey Ferguson 201 combines, and the Thomson cane grab. 4 RESULTS First Experiment. mpurities in the harvested cane. First part This consisted of comparing two combine harvesting machines of different trade marks, the Claas Libertadora 1400 and Massey Ferguson 201, and hand cutting plus mechanical grab loading, in a 36 ha plot on which the three treatments, each with 4 replications, were carried out on 12 months old ratoon cane of the PPQK variety. Three samples were taken for each replication of each treatment, from cane directly unloaded by each harvester, and from the loader in the hand cutting treatment. Nomenclature of the dijferent components analysed. CM = % milling cane CD = % chopped cane PT = % soft points TR = % soil and roots C = CM + CD = % industrial cane N = PT $ C + M = % non industrial cane C = % tops BA = P + CS + TR = % trash M = % suckers M = N + BA = % impurities, P = % straw TC = C + N = total of cane CS = % dried cane

3 R E.Z. CRUZ The results of this skdy are as follows: TABLE. Comparative data of the different components considered in the study. Figures for each treatment are expressed in percentages. Treatments Components shown Claas Libertadora Massey-Ferguson Hand cutting and in percentages mechanical grab. * Second This Significant difference. *" Highly significant difference. nspection of the statistical results shows that there was no significant difference between the two harvesters, but there was a significant difference between the harvesters and the hand cutting mechanical grab in the following items: CM = % milling cane, C = % of tops, C = % industrial cane, N = % non industrial cane and M = % of impurities. n the other determinations there was no significant difference, although the trend in all cases was in favour of hand cutting with mechanical grab. part consisted of testing only the two harvesters, without comparisicrn with hand cutting and mechanical grab. n this case a 24 ha plot was used on which 4 replications of each of the two treatments were established. Each experimental plot consisted of 3 ha and the sampling system was the same as the second one in the first part of the experiment. The results are as

4 2042 AGRCULTURAL ENGNEERNG TABLE 11. Comparative Data on the different components considered. Treatments Components shown Claas Libertadora Massey-Ferguson in percentage CM 'F i CD PT C M P 0.45" 1.35 CS TR C = CM + CD N=PT+C+M TC = C + N BA = P + CS + TR M = N -- BA * Significant difference. As shown in Table 11, the highest percentage of milling cane (CM) was obtained from the Massey-Ferguson 201 harvester, significant at the 5% level. A lower percentage of chopped cane (CD) was also delivered by the Massey-Ferguson 201 harvester, this being equally significant. The straw percentage (P), with a significant difference, was a characteristic favourable to the Claas Libertadora 1400 harvester. Second Experim.ent. Determination of the industrial cane left in the field. First part This study was carried out to compare the efficiency of the same two harvesters, and of hand cutting and nlechanical grab, in function of the quantity of industrial cane left in the harvested field. The following nomenclature was used' in the data record: CM = milling cane (ton/ha) CD = chopped cane (ton/ha) TD = stools left in the field (ton/ha) CA = CM + CD = total industrial cane left in the harvested field (ton/ha)

5 E.Z. CRUZ 2043 To obtain these data, samples were collected by harvesting all the industrial cane left on each of three randomly distributed 60 sq m plots for each replication of each treatment. The results are shown on Table 111. TABLE 111. ndustrial cane left in the field after 3 treatments, expressed in ton/ha. Treatments expressed in ton/ha Concepts Claas Liber- Massey-Fergu-. Hand cutting and tadora 1400 son 201 mechanical grab. * Significant difference. A significant difference was observed only in the case of chopped cane (CD) that was left in the field by the harvesters, by comparision with hand cutting and mechanical grab. For the remaining concepts there was no significant difference, although there was solnewhat more milling cane (CM) left where hand cutting was carried out. This may have been due to the fact that it was lifted by the mechanical grab. The greater amount of stools left in the field (TD) was shown where there was hand cutting, because the harvesters cut the cane lower that did the cutters, but this difference was not statistically significant. Second part The second part oi the experiment was to collect and weight the industrial cane left in the field by the two harvesters, the same procedure being followed as in the first part. The results obtained are recorded in Table V. FABLE V. ndustrial cane left in the field. Treatments in ton/ha. Concepts Claas Libertadora Massey-Ferguson CM CD * TD CA = CM + CD + TD *

6 2044 AGRCULTURAL ENGNEERNG These results show a significant difference relating to the chopped cane (CD) that was left in the plot, that was favorable to the Massey-Ferguson 201 harvester. The Claas Liberty 1400 left more chopped cane in the field. The same effect was observed with the total cane left in the field, siace there was a significant difference again in favor of the Massey-Ferguson 201. For the chopped cane (CM) and left'stools (TD), although the same trend was observed, the difference, which again favored the Massey-Ferguson 201 was not statistically significant. CONCLUSONS Since the investigations described above are preliminary and the results are of practical importance, it is intended to continue the experiments. They will be completed together with the technical and economic evaluation of the harvesters, so that the final recoinmendations from the nstitute include all the necessary aspects for selection and proper use of this equipment. REFERENCES 1. Basilio. Roias A. (1961). Materiais extraiias en la caiia moledera. V Conferencia ~nternacional TAV. (pi ). 2. Chilton. John P. (1961). La basura de caiia en el Estado de Luisiana. V Conferencia ~nternadional T& (pp ). 3. ONSA (Operadora Nacional de ngenios, S.A.). (1972). Cosecha Mecanizada en el ngenio Santa Rosalia, Edo. Tabasco. MBxico. EVALUACON DE COSECHADORAS MECANCAS DE CARA EN MEJCO E.Z. Cruz RESUMEN Este articulo informa 10s resultados de dos experimentos: el primero sobre determinacibn de material extraao y el segundo sobre determinacibn de caaa industrial dejada en el campo, comparando el trabajo realizado por dos tipos de cosechadoras combinadas de caaa entera y por el sistema comljnmente usado en las Areas cafieras de Mejico, esto es corte a mano y cargamiento mecanizado. En este estudio, se establecieron bandas al acaso de 3 ha cadsv uno, con 10s tratamientss correspondientes y cuatro repeticiones. Para medir las impurezas, se tomaron al acaso muestras de 100 a 150 kg en tres sitios diferentes para cada banda.

7 E.Z. CRUZ 2045 Para medir la cafia dejada en el campo, se hicieron 3 muestras por banda en areas de 60 pies cuadrados por sitio-muestra. Las maquinas evaluadas fueron las cosechadoras Claas Li bertadora y Massey Ferguson 201 y la cargadora Thomson. Los resultados obtenidos favorecen al cargador mecanico sobre ias maquinas combinadas. De la comparacion entre las cosechadoras Claas Libertadora y Massey Ferguson, la ultima fue mas favorable.