Abstract
Problem statement: Sugarcane leaf-removing tools could help speed up sugarcane harvest and reduce contamination. Moreover, leaf-removal machinery can solve the problems of sugarcane burning and workers can increase sugarcane harvest production too. The purpose of this research was to study the use of leaf-removal machinery in the post-harvest production of sugarcane to reduce harvest production time and contaminant. Approach: This study focused on the LK92-11 variety of sugarcane having a harvesting period of 12 months, a density of 9,387 stems/rai and could produce 14.01 tons/rai including cane top and, leaves and leaf sheaths of 1675.2 and 180 kg/rai. Sugarcane leaf-removal machinery was applied to a small engine power from a grass-cutting machine. A rotate dish applied 4 different materials, tendon string, soft wire, medium wire and sling for sugarcane leaf-removing. The machine was operated at a constant speed. The efficiency of the sugarcane leaf-removal machinery indicated the capacity of sugarcane leaf-removing by area and operation time. Results: The quantity of leaves and leaf sheaths affect the speed of harvest production. Moreover, leaves and leaf sheaths increase the waste material in production and also contaminate the sugar and the sugar production system with clay, sand, and mud from the fields. Traditional methods for sugarcane harvest without removing leaf took 37 h/rai to complete, but sugarcane leaf-removing could reduce the sugarcane harvest process to 11.4 h/rai. Conclusion: The material of the blades in de-leafing machine is crucial to the efficiency of harvest production time. Blades made from poor materials can cause tangling and clogging in the rotator dish, which increases maintenance time. Further developments in sugarcane leaf removal systems will create dramatic improvement in sugarcane production.
Highlights
Sugarcane is an important economic crop of farming in Thailand
Farmers who have workerless cannot do sugarcane harvesting during factory operation time. They burn sugarcane in order to eliminate the leaves to speed up the sugarcane harvesting
The LK92-11 variety of sugarcane having a harvesting period of 12 months was used as sample, Ban Phai, Khon Kaen province, Thailand
Summary
Sugarcane is an important economic crop of farming in Thailand. Thailand has cultivating area of 6.31 million rais producing sugarcane stem of 64.37 million tons and sugar of 7.60 million tons annually (The Office of Sugarcane and Sugar Commission, 2008). Thailand exported more sugar to foreign markets between 2002 and 2007, that was, 1.97 million tons and valued 16,448.69 million Baht, and 2.03 million tons and valued 21,807.27 million Baht, respectively (The Office of Agriculture Economy, 2008). Farmers harvesting sugarcane have a leaves-removing step and cut the stem closing to the soil, cut the top of sugarcane stem. The sugarcane crop that has not been fully leaves-removed could carry some soil, sand and mud, damaging the downstream sugarcane process machine and reduced sugar yield (Yangyeun and Wongpicheth, 2008). Farmers who have workerless cannot do sugarcane harvesting during factory operation time. They burn sugarcane in order to eliminate the leaves to speed up the sugarcane harvesting. The sugarcane fire had disadvantages such as weight reduction, pathogens destroyed rapid decrease of sweetness, high production cost of plant, that organic material and structure in soil were destroyed and decreased sugar production
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