SHIFTS AND HARVESTING SYSTEMS ON QUALITY OF IMPURITIES SAMPLES IN SUGARCANE

Aline S Alcantara,Antonio T S Ormond,Rouverson P Da Silva,Paulo R De Sousa Júnior,Elizabeth H Kazama

doi:10.1590/1809-4430-eng.agric.v37n3p510-519/2017

Aline S Alcantara, Antonio T S Ormond + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4430-eng.agric.v37n3p510-519/2017

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Abstract

ABSTRACT Semi-mechanical and mechanical harvesting methods may influence the content of impurities in harvested sugarcane. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of three mechanical methods of sugarcane harvesting: one semi-mechanical, and two mechanical ones - self-performed and outsourced, during three working shifts. As quality indicators, both mineral and vegetal impurities were accounted. About 50 random samples were collected in the studied area during 35 harvest days and in three working shifts, for each harvesting method. Mineral impurities showed similar behavior for both self-performed and outsourced mechanical harvesting, thus displaying a low variability. On the other hand, vegetal impurities showed to be unstable for all three shifts. Additionally, the statistical process control analysis showed that the semi-mechanical method had the greatest variability.

Highlights

Sugarcane mechanical harvesting is considered the most important process within the crop production since it controls operation costs and has an influence on raw material quality (SANTOS et al, 2014)
Studies on agricultural machinery and mechanization for sugarcane crops are essential to optimizing crop yields, farm operations, besides reducing costs (PELOIA et al, 2010)
In the mechanical harvesting of sugarcane, improper regulation of the harvester according to crop conditions, especially of its cleaning equipment, can increase the content of vegetal and mineral materials and, leading to losses of raw material (RAMOS et al, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

Sugarcane mechanical harvesting is considered the most important process within the crop production since it controls operation costs and has an influence on raw material quality (SANTOS et al, 2014). Studies on agricultural machinery and mechanization for sugarcane crops are essential to optimizing crop yields, farm operations, besides reducing costs (PELOIA et al, 2010). In the mechanical harvesting of sugarcane, improper regulation of the harvester according to crop conditions, especially of its cleaning equipment, can increase the content of vegetal and mineral materials and, leading to losses of raw material (RAMOS et al, 2015). One of the remaining drawbacks is the increasing levels of mineral impurities released into mechanically harvested sugarcane made with no natural lighting, i.e. at night (GIACHINI et al, 2016). Statistical Process Control (SPC) can be very useful to determine changes in certain processes; its use to evaluate or control the quality of mechanical agricultural operations has still been done in a small scale (ZERBATO et al, 2014)

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