Abstract
ABSTRACT Recently, Brazilian agriculture and the mechanization process have been improved and developed, particularly in sugarcane cultivation. The developed processes should adopt suitable management practices in terms of the technical, economic, and operational logistical aspects. As a management tool, the present study aimed to measure the impact of the accumulated use of harvesters (life in h) and agricultural productivity (Mg · ha−1) on the harvesting operational capacity (HOC). Mathematical modeling was performed on data obtained from eight sugarcane production units, and equations corresponding to the HOC as a function of the harvester's life and the crop agricultural productivity were developed. The equation that best represented the phenomenon was selected. The values of the HOC depend on operational conditions and range from (17 to 44) Mg · h−1, thereby demonstrating significant operational and economic discrepancies. When the mean life of the harvester was 10,000 h and the mean productivity of the cane field was 80.0 Mg · ha−1, an HOC of 31.7 Mg · h−1 was obtained. It was found that agricultural productivity is directly proportional to the HOC, whereas the harvester's life is inversely proportional to the HOC; the parameters are not linear in both cases.
Highlights
The growing demand for renewable fuels stimulated by environmental issues has led Brazil to become a major producer of renewable energy, which is supported by the wide expansion of sugarcane plantations (Saccharum spp.)
A summary of the agronomic characteristics and equipment used in the six production units investigated is presented in Table 1, which presents data on the number of harvesters in terms of the manufacturer, their mean life in hours and age in years, and the cane field’s annual production and agricultural productivity
By varying the agricultural productivity from (63 to 95) Mg ∙ ha-1, the results reported in this study corroborate those of Teixeira (2013), who studied the harvesting operational capacity (HOC) by agricultural productivity range, and obtaining a mean HOC of 24.2 Mg ∙ h-1 for a productivity range between 71 Mg ∙ ha-1 and Mg ∙ ha-1, and 31.0 Mg ∙ h-1 for a productivity range between Mg ∙ ha-1 and 135 Mg ∙ ha-1
Summary
The growing demand for renewable fuels stimulated by environmental issues has led Brazil to become a major producer of renewable energy, which is supported by the wide expansion of sugarcane plantations (Saccharum spp.) This resulted in almost twice the area being harvested in 12 years, from 5.8 million hectares harvested in 2005 to approximately 8.4 million in 2019–2020 (Conab, 2020). During this period, the use of agricultural machinery was essential to increase the plantation area, with special emphasis on the harvesting process, which was adapted to current legal requirements, such as law 11.241/2002. The HOC can be considered as a management indicator that influences strategic and tactical levels, which require capacity and task planning
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