STUBBLE DAMAGE AND UNSETTLING INDEXES FOR DIFFERENT CUTTING AND LOADING SYSTEMS

Abstract

The simultaneous mechanical cutting and loading of the sugarcane may trample the remaining stubbles in the harvested area, thus increasing the damage and unsettling indexes of the stubs remaining in the ground after the harvest, which, in the end, can hamper sugarcane regrowth. To this end, the objective of this work was to evaluate how the cutting and loading systems affect the sugarcane ratoon using statistical process control. The experiment was conducted in an agricultural area in Frutal, MG, in June 2014. The mechanical harvesting was carried out at a 1.1m s^-1(4.0 km h^-1) average working speed and 1.50m spacing. The statistical design used was completely randomized, based on the concepts of quality control, in which the data were collected during harvesting time. The studied treatments were as follows, basal cut, and the mechanical sets A, B, C and D according to equipment gauge width. The stubble damage and unsettling indexes were the parameters used to determine the quality of the studied process. The Set D with the widest gauge is the best option for mechanical harvesting, loading and transporting of sugarcane since it has significantly lower sugarcane stubble damage and unsettling indexes compared to sets A, B, and C.