Continuous and Impact Cutting in Mechanized Sugarcane Harvest: Quality, Losses and Impurities

João Vitor Paulo Testa, Murilo Battistuzzi Martins (), Aldir Carpes Marques Filho, Kléber Pereira Lanças, Renato Lustosa Sobrinho, Taciane Finatto, Mohammad K. Okla and Hamada AbdElgawad
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João Vitor Paulo Testa: Rural Engineering and Agricultural Mechanization Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University—UNESP, Av. Universitária, 3780, Botucatu 18610-034, SP, Brazil
Murilo Battistuzzi Martins: Cassilândia University Unit, Agronomy Department, Mato Grosso do Sul State University—UEMS, 306 Road, Km 6, Cassilândia 79540-000, MS, Brazil
Aldir Carpes Marques Filho: Agricultural Engineering Department, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, MG, Brazil
Kléber Pereira Lanças: Rural Engineering and Agricultural Mechanization Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University—UNESP, Av. Universitária, 3780, Botucatu 18610-034, SP, Brazil
Renato Lustosa Sobrinho: Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Technology—Paraná (UTFPR), Pato Branco 85503-390, PR, Brazil
Taciane Finatto: Department of Agronomy, Federal University of Technology—Paraná (UTFPR), Pato Branco 85503-390, PR, Brazil
Mohammad K. Okla: Botany and Microbiology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Hamada AbdElgawad: Integrated Molecular Plant Physiology Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Sugarcane harvesting requires improvements, particularly in cutting tools. Continuous cutting saws have been introduced as a solution to this issue. This study evaluates the performance of two basal sugarcane cutting systems in different fields: a traditional impact cut system (ICS) with knives and a continuous cut system (CCS) with saw blades. Tests were conducted during two crop cycles in three areas, using a 3 × 2 factorial design with two cutting devices and four replications per treatment. Cut quality indices and ratoon damage were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Raw material losses were subjected to the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, ANOVA, and Tukey’s test at 5% probability. Significant differences in cutting quality were found across different areas. The total crop productivity influenced sugarcane cut quality, with the CCS showing (0.8 Mg ha −1 ) visible losses in higher productivity areas, which is a 74% increase compared to the ICS. In lower productivity areas, the CCS demonstrated better loss performance (0.8 Mg ha −1 ). Additionally, the stumps damage rate for the CCS was lower than that for the ICS (0.15 and 0.28, respectively), indicating that saws can preserve cane fields and enhance longevity.

Keywords: Sacharum spp.; mechanization; basecut; harvesting; cut device (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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