Desempenho qualitativo de colhedoras de cana-de-açúcar.

Abstract

In mechanized harvesting in sugar cane, the losses related to the base cutting system is among the ones that worries the most, due to the raw material left on the field and the reduction in sugar cane crop longevity cause by deficiency in cut height control. With this in mind, cut height, quality, mineral impurities in the raw material, frequency of laid and removed stalk stumps and losses during harvesting were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics for five chopper sugar-cane harvester from a mechanical harvesting front in a sugar mill in São Paulo state. The results showed that in this front the base cutting is not under statistical control and out of the standards desired by the sugar mill. There are special causes acting upon the process that may be related to the sugar cane production system adopted by the sugar mill, crop conditions, harvester operation and its maintenance condition.