Harvesting Systems for Cotton Plant Residue

Abstract

In Arizona, cotton plant residue left in the field following harvest must be buried to prevent it from serving as an overwintering site for insects such as the pink bollworm. Most tillage operations used to incorporate the biomass into the soil are energy intensive, and often degrade soil structure. Two commercially viable systems for harvesting cotton plant residue were developed. Stalks are first pulled with an implement developed for the purpose, then baled using a large round baler, or chopped with a forage harvester and transferred to a cotton module builder. Density of the packages varies, with round bales ranging from 93 to 138 kg/m3 (6 to 9 lb/ft3), and modules from 168 to 232 kg/m3 (10 to 15 lb/ft3). Energy required to harvest the stalks averaged 9.2 kWh/t (12.1 hp-h/ton) for the baling system, and 8.6 kWh/t (11.4 hp h/ton) for chopping and moduling. Specific energy of the harvested stalks averaged 18.6 MJ/kg (7983 BTU/lb).