African Journal of
Agricultural Research

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Agric. Res.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1991-637X
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJAR
  • Start Year: 2006
  • Published Articles: 6863

Full Length Research Paper

Mechanical harvest methods efficiency and its impacts on quality of narrow row cotton

Nayra Fernandes Aguero
  • Nayra Fernandes Aguero
  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Campus de Rondonópolis Acadêmicos do Curso de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental (ICAT/EAA) Rodovia MT-270, KM 06, 78735-901, Rondonópolis, MT, Brasil.
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Renildo Luiz Mion
  • Renildo Luiz Mion
  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Campus de Rondonópolis Acadêmicos do Curso de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental (ICAT/EAA) Rodovia MT-270, KM 06, 78735-901, Rondonópolis, MT, Brasil.
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Cíntia Michele Baraviera
  • Cíntia Michele Baraviera
  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Campus de Rondonópolis Acadêmicos do Curso de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental (ICAT/EAA) Rodovia MT-270, KM 06, 78735-901, Rondonópolis, MT, Brasil.
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Myllena Teixeira Martins
  • Myllena Teixeira Martins
  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Campus de Rondonópolis Acadêmicos do Curso de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental (ICAT/EAA) Rodovia MT-270, KM 06, 78735-901, Rondonópolis, MT, Brasil.
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William Lima Crisostomo
  • William Lima Crisostomo
  • Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT) Campus de Rondonópolis Acadêmicos do Curso de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental (ICAT/EAA) Rodovia MT-270, KM 06, 78735-901, Rondonópolis, MT, Brasil.
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Carlos Alberto Viliotti
  • Carlos Alberto Viliotti
  • Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
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  •  Received: 14 December 2016
  •  Accepted: 16 August 2017
  •  Published: 11 October 2018

Abstract

The large scale cultivation of cotton in the Cerrado areas was made possible by large investments in technology, particularly in mechanized harvesting, which makes the business viable. However, the use of harvesters causes qualitative and quantitative losses to the final product, reducing the profitability of production. This study aimed to evaluate the fiber characteristics of narrow row cotton using harvesting Pro-12 VRS picker and stripper. The experiment was conducted on a farm in the municipalities of Sorriso in the 2014 agricultural season. The experimental design was randomized blocks with seven replicates. The treatments consisted of five harvesting systems: Pro-12 VRS picker, finger stripper with and without field cleaner and brush stripper with and without field cleaner. The efficiency of the harvester was quantified by determining the yield and total loss. Impurities in the harvested cotton were quantified by determining the percentage of bark and stem present in the sample. The following technological fiber characteristics were analyzed through the HVI tool: Trash, UHM, SFC, Elg, Mic, +b, Rd, UI and STR. Cotton in hardened management system has less trash content when harvested with the Pro-12 VRS picker. The Pro-12 VRS picker, however, failed to preserve the intrinsic quality of the fiber.

Key words: Harvester’s cotton, platforms picker, fiber cotton characteristics.