Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol.

28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

PERFORMANCE OF SUGARCANE HARVESTERS IN OKINAWA By YOSHIAKI SHINZATO1, KAZUMI UEHARA2 and MASAMI UENO3 Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center, 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336, Japan 2 Okinawa Prefectural College of Agriculture, 1-15-9 Okita, Nago-city, Okinawa 905-0019, Japan 3 Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan shinzay@pref.okinawa.lg.jp KEYWORDS: Sugarcane Harvester, Small Size, Compaction, Ratooning.
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Abstract MORE THAN 300 SMALL-SIZED sugarcane harvesters (SSHs) are used in Okinawa and Kagoshima in Japan. Engine output is 5095 kW and the weight of machines ranges from 4 t to 7 t. There are several models of small machines developed by three Japanese local companies and one Australian company. In Okinawa, 97 large- and middle-sized harvesters and 165 SSHs were used in the 201011 (DecemberMarch) harvesting season to mechanically harvest 40% of the sugarcane fields (2516 ha and 128 000 t). Sugarcane crops in Okinawa are larger than in Kagoshima, especially summer plant cane, and this creates problems in the operation of SSHs. These were field-tested to evaluate their performance and adaptability with the aim of improving their operation under wet conditions caused by frequent rains during the harvesting season. SSHs performed better than larger machines in wet fields, harvesting 120 t/ha of yield and lodged sugarcane. Harvesting losses of SSHs were almost the same as those of middlesized harvesters (MSHs) in small fields with narrow headlands. Stool damage, stools pulled out and extraneous matter in wet fields where SSHs were used were lower than where MSHs were used. Because MSHs caused higher soil compaction and deeper tracks than did SSHs, it was difficult to use small-size cultivators and two-wheeled tractors after harvesting by MSHs. However, these machinescould be used after harvesting by SSHs without any difficulty. In addition, SSHs can work in the narrow row spacings that result in increased productivity. Overall, it was shown that SSHs had high adaptability in the wet sugarcane fields of Okinawa. Introduction Sugarcane is grown in the 16 islands of Okinawa. Mechanised harvesting started in 1990 (Department of Agriculture of Okinawa Prefecture, 2011) in Okinawa Island, the main island of Okinawa, but later than in the other islands. Aging of farmers and a shortage of labour have accelerated the adoption of mechanical harvesting. Initially, medium-sized harvesters (MSHs) equipped with 150 kW engines were introduced. Green-cane harvesters were developed about 30 years ago and introduced to replace burnt-cane harvesters used in limited areas such as Minami-Daito Island. MSHs have been adopted in some islands but, in many, mechanisation has not advanced because of the size of sugarcane fields; many less than 0.3 ha. To overcome such situations, a local company developed a small-sized green-cane harvester (SSH). The mass and engine power of harvesters has tended to increase gradually because of the change to green-cane harvesting.
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Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

Guidelines for use of large-sized harvesters (LSHs) were developed to reduce extraneous matter levels (as in Whiteing et al., 2001) and further improvements were made to minimise cane loss and the proportion of extraneous matter, especially roots and dirt (Davis and Norris, 2005; R.J. Davis et al., 2005). However, the configuration of the first generation of SSHs was not well developed and their capacity of work was rather low. SSHs also had many performance problems, especially with extraneous matter, damage to stalks and stools and cane losses due to the small size of the machines, and frequent interruptions to operation through choking have prevented their practical use. Three local Japanese makers have continued considerable efforts to develop competitive models, leading to the wide introduction of SSHs with improved performance. The adoption of MSHs has remained restricted because there are few areas in Okinawa to utilise their increased mass and power. Compaction over the stools leads to considerable yield loss, and this can be minimised through controlled traffic and wider row spacings such as 1.75 m (Torres and Pantoja, 2005). In contrast, we expect that SSHs will enable us to avoid stool damage and soil compaction because of their lower mass and narrow width of the body. The narrower row spacing and lower soil compaction should result in an increase or maintenance of the yields achieved with manual harvesting. SSHs also show superior trafficability in wet field conditions; on the first day after rainfall of about 20 mm, crawler-type SSHs could operate without noticeable trouble while MSHs stopped operation (Akachi et al., 1994). In addition, the initial cost of SSHs is relatively low compared with that for MSHs or LSHs. This is somewhat offset because farmers pay more for contract harvesting with SSHs than with larger machines. The adaptability of SSHs to the wet, narrow and high yield sugarcane fields is discussed in this paper. In addition, the performance of associated small-sized tractor-attached cultivators or stable-shavers and two-wheeled tractors was checked. Materials and methods In Okinawa, sugarcane harvesters are classified according to engine output, row spacing to which they are adapted and the size of the farms on which they are used. SSHs have a mass below about 8 t, MSHs 811 t and LSHs above 11 t. Other characteristics of harvesters used in Okinawa are given in Table 1.
Table 1Characteristics of different groups of harvesters used in Okinawa.

Performance tests of SSHs We carried out three field tests of the performance of SSHs in Miyako Island (Table 2). Here, summer-plant cane is the main cropping type and it has a reasonably high yield because of an 18-month growth period. Spring-plant cane grown for 12 months was used in one trial as an additional check of the performances of SSHs. Two types of SSHs were tested for performance and adaptability in those fields and were compared with one MSH (Table 3). Ground speed, capacity of work, productivity and extraneous matter (%) were evaluated; the Matumoto SSH was checked only for extraneous matter in the third trial.
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Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Table 2Characteristics of the test fields in Miyako Island.
Parameter Date Planting Row spacing (m) Variety Cane yield (t/ha) First trial 19 January2004 Summer 1.34 NiF8 66 Second trial 20 January 2004 Summer 1.22 NiF8 122 Third trial 20 January 2004 Spring 1.38 NiF8 68

SSHs are equipped with a bag at the rear to store about 1 t of chopped billets. One operator was sufficient because the accompanying transporter was not necessary. Another person would usually assist in the operation, especially for changing the bag.
Table 3Specifications of SSHs and MSH tested.

Uotani UT-120K SSH Parameter Length (m) Width (m) Height (m) Mass (t) Engine output (kW/rpm) 2 Contact area (m ) Running gear Ground contact pressure (kPa)

Matumoto MCH-30-W-E Uotani UT-170-A Matumoto MCH-30W-E 6.96 2.25 3.70 6.20 71.3/2200 1.60 Crawler 38 MSH Uotani UT-170-A 7.80 2.50 4.35 8.90 135/2200 0.92 Wheel 96

Uotani UT-120K 6.05 2.80 4.15 7.95 78/2200 1.93 Crawler 40

Adaptability of SSHs In Okinawa, it is generally cloudy and rainy and the temperature is relatively low during the harvesting season. Most sugarcane fields are small with no or narrow headlands and some are not rectangular. Soils are heavy clays. We compared the adaptability of a SSH with that of a MSH (Table 4) tested on 2 and 6 March 2004, respectively. The test fields had a heavy clay soil called Jaagaru and grew variety Ni11 yielding 83 t/ha. The crop was a ratoon with 1.4 m row spacing. Soil-moisture content was measured before the test. Soil-penetration resistance was measured by a SR-2 type Soil Penetrometer DIK-5502 (Daiki Rika Kogyo Co., Ltd, Japan) before and after harvesting. Ratooning practices such as subsoiling, inter-row cultivating and hilling-up were carried out afterwards as normal, while a non-subsoiled part in the test field was prepared to evaluate the subsoiling effect on growth and yield after harvesting by a SSH and MSH. Cane growth was measured in May, 2 months after harvest. The yield and growth of the ratoon crop were determined at the following harvest.
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Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________ Table 4Specifications of the SSH and MSH harvesters compared for adaptability and outline of the test field.
UT-120KW (SSH) TS3500 (MSH) 7.15 2.60 3.62 9.34 170/2400 Half-track

35m Middle size Small size harvester harvester

row direction

Length (m) Width (m) Height (m) Mass (t)

Engine (kW/rpm) output

5.60 1.70 4.30 6.85 78/2200 Crawler

55m

Running gear

Road used head land (Width : 4.9m)

Performance test of a small sugarcane cultivator Wheeled LSHs and MSHs and the tractor-attached high-dump wagons cause considerable soil compaction. Inter-row cultivation using the small-sized machines after harvesting is difficult because of this intensive compaction. In Kita-Daito Island, some farmers have no middle-size or large-size tractors and frequently do not cultivate ratoons. In Okinawa Island, farmers often cultivate fields of less than 1 ha. Small machines, such as two-wheeled tractors, are popular. The adaptability of SSHs to minimise compaction was determined by measuring the shape of surface ruts after harvesting with a LSH or a SSH. Soil-penetration resistance was measured at the same time. We also checked whether different tractors are capable of inter-row cultivating after harvesting by a SSH. Three machines were checked after harvesting in Okinawa Island: a twowheeled tractor, a small tractor with an attached rotary tiller, and a small tractor with an attached stubble shaver. The small tractor with attached stubble shaver allows subsurface application of fertilisers and application of herbicide at the same time (Table 5).
Table 5Specifications of machinery used for ratoon cultivation.
Two-wheeled tractor Small tractor with attached rotary tiller Small tractor with attached stubble shaver

Overall width (m) Working width (m) Power (kW) Practices Tillage depth (cm)

0.85 0.80 6.6 Cultivating, hilling-up 1520

1.10 0.80 12.5 Cultivating, hilling-up 1520

1.10 0.60 12.5 Stubble-shaving, subsurface application, of fertilisers (10 cm depth), applying herbicide

Results and discussion Performance test of SSHs SSHs were tested in fields with heavily lodged and tangled cane caused by typhoons passing close to Miyako Island. There was 16 mm of rain on 16 January 2004, 3 days before the first trial.
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On 19 January, there was 8 mm of rain at trial sites 1 and 2, and on 20 January there was 4 mm of rain at the third trial site. The SSHs could harvest the sprawled and tangled sugarcane with cane yields up to 120 t/ha. They could also operate in all of the three trials, despite the high soil moisture that meant MSHs could not operate. In the three trials, the average ground speed and the productivity of the Matumoto and Uotani machines were about 0.40 m/s and about 6.4 t/h, respectively (Table 6). These were about 75% and 80% of those achieved by a MSH in other tests (Akachi et al., 1998). The extraneous matter produced by MSHs was more than 20% under similar conditions as in the test fields and the average extraneous matter in Miyako Island is about 1516% (Okinawa Seito, 2006, 200809). The extraneous matter produced by the tested SSHs was lower than that normally produced by MSHs, although that from the Uotani harvester was higher than that from the Matumoto machine in each of the three trials (Table 6). SSHs demonstrated the superior performance under wet soil conditions, while MSHs were forced to cease work because of deep ruts. Although the capacity of SSHs was lower than that of the MSH, the total amount harvested was almost the same because the SSHs could keep working longer during the harvesting season in Miyako Island (Department of Agriculture of Okinawa Prefecture, 2005). Therefore, we recommended replacing the wheel-type MSHs with crawler-type SSHs.
Table 6Performance of SSHs in the three field trials.
Trial First Second Third Machine Matumoto Uotani Matumoto Uotani Uotani Matumoto Ground speed (m/s) 0.39 0.44 0.30 0.27 0.50 Capacity of work (h/ha) 12.7 10.6 20.8 16.9 8.8 Productivity (t/h) 5.1 6.1 5.9 7.2 7.8 Extraneous matter (%) 15.1 22.7 11.6 17.5 16.8 12.5

Adaptability of SSHs It was raining on 2 March and there had been 10 mm of rain the day before, so only the SSH could operate. The MSH could only be tested 4 days later. Soil moisture was 43% when the SSH was tested and 39% when the MSH was tested. The SSH could turn easily using the headland side road. However, the MSH had to make a complicated turn because the road was too narrow this meant that the MSH required a longer working time than the SSH (Table 7). The capacity and the other performance indices showed the SSH to be superior (Table 7). There was no significant difference in harvesting losses. Overall, the MSH showed poor performance under such wet field conditions and in a small field.
Table 7Performance comparison of the different size harvesters.
Machine SSH MSH Ground speed (m/s) 0.43 0.45 Capacity of work (h/ha) 11.5 20.8 Productivity (t/h) 7.2 4.0 Extraneous matter (%) 8.1 23.7 Harvesting loss (%) 7.1 5.5

The soil penetration resistance after harvesting by the SSH was less than that under the MSH (Figure 1). This means that soil compaction caused by the operation of mechanical harvester operation could be reduced considerably when SSHs are used. In addition, the traffic of large machines such as the wagon and the dumper over the stools results in further significant compaction
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Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

(Torres et al., 1989). Stool damage and yield reduction by SSH harvesting was less than that for the MSH harvesting.

Fig. 1Penetration resistance after mechanical harvesting interesting patternsrelatively higher surface compaction with MSH within depth of 020 cm.

The MSH found it difficult to enter the field from the headland each time because the field was lower than the road. This resulted in some stools being removed by the crop lifters and many stalks were damaged by the basecutters or other parts of the MSH. This meant that there were considerable gaps in those parts of the field close to the road. Stalk populations at the following harvest were 74 000/ha for the SSH and 63 000/ha for the MSH, while there was little difference in the height or diameter of stalks (Table 8). Hence, the resultant cane yield (21 January 2005) was higher where the SSH had been used. Subsoiling after harvest further improved the subsequent yield of the ratoon cane after harvesting by the SSH.
Table 8 Performance of the subsequent ratoon crop (21 January 2005) after harvesting with different machines.
Parameter Stalk population (/ha) Stalk height (m) Stalk diameter (mm) Cane yield (t/ha) MSH (Subsoiling) 63 000 2.2 21 58 SSH (Subsoiling) 74 000 2.1 21 78 SSH 73 000 2.0 21 65

Performance test of a small sugarcane cultivator Mechanical farming and harvesting in wet soil conditions causes deep surface ruts and compaction. Usually, a tractor of about 90 kW power is required to repair such ruts through a combination of paratill/scarifying implements (H.B. Davis et al., 2005). Small-sized machines are expected to do this in Okinawa. Soil penetration resistance reached 3.0 MPa due to the long-term use of the LSH in KitaDaito Island (Figure 2). The operation of the SSH did create deep surface ruts in wet soil conditions, but the overall impact was less than that of the heavier harvester (Figure 2). Miyoshi (1972) showed that elongation of the roots of most crops is obstructed when soil hardness by Yamanakas soil hardness test is more than 2223 mm and Ishikawa et al. (1999) showed that sugarcane roots can not penetrate into a soil layer with more than 2030 mm hardness. The value of Yamanakas soil hardness can be converted into the equivalent hardness (MPa) as
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measured by SR-2 tester (AFFRC, 1968). The hardness of 3.0 MPa that we found after operation of the LSH corresponds to about 26.5 mm, which is close to the limit of hardness where roots can penetrate into soil. In addition, the small-size cultivator is difficult to use, and the two-wheeled tractor is unusable for the repair of surface ruts.
150cm
inPerrow Cane sPool inPerposiPion row

150cm 150cm

inPerrow

Cane sPool inPerposiPion row

150cm

kPa

0
depPh (cm)

3000 2500 2000 1500

20 40 60

1000 500 0
50 100 150 Cane stoool position 200 250 (cm) 0 10 Surface rut SSH 20 0 50 Surface rut LSH Cane stoool position 100 150 200 250 (cm) Surface rut LSH

Depth(cm)

0 10 20

Surface rut SSH

After SSH

After LSH

Fig. 2Soil profiles of penetration resistance and shapes of surface ruts.

Harvesting losses occur through crushing of lodged stalks, high basecutting, missed cutting, and dropping of billets from the machine. These are related to the cane stand angle. Shinzato (2006) found a linear relation between stand angle of the stalk and harvesting loss obtained in the operation of SSHs (The harvesting losses increased for the heavily lodged cane: Y = 0.09 X + 5.8 R2 = 0.577* (P<0.05) where, Y: harvesting loss (%) X: cane stand angle () (Figure 3) Hence, the more vertical the cane, the easier is mechanical harvesting.

Cane Cane stand st and angle () angl e( )

Fig. 3Cane stand angle. 7

Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

In addition, germination from deep positioning of the stool allows cane not only to stay erect, but also to be heavier, taller and thicker (Nakasone and Oshiro, 1984). Therefore, we advocate hilling-up of both plant and ratoon cane as an important practice in improving harvesting. The small-size tractor with a cultivator or stubble-shaver and the two-wheeled tractor were able to operate without any trouble after harvesting by SSH (Table 8). Inter-row cultivation after harvesting by MSH was difficult because of the small mass of tractor. The capacity of work of the two-wheel tractor and small tractor are one-third of that of the middle size tractor (approximately 35 kW). However, few farmers have middle or large tractors, most having a two-wheel tractor or a small tractor. A SSH is advantageous for such farmers, but the capacity of SSHs decreases significantly in weedy cane fields, so several cultivations are necessary for weed control.
Table 8Performance of a small tractor and two-wheel tractor after harvesting with SSH.
Machine Small tractor and stubble-shaver Small tractor and cultivator Two-wheeled tractor Ground speed (m/s) 0.32 0.17 0.13 Field working efficiency (%) 81.8 78.3 95.0 Capacity of work (h/ha) 10.2 14.7 14.7 One-way or Twoway One-way One-way Two-way

Conclusions In Okinawa, SSHs could harvest heavily lodged green cane with yields up to about 120 t/ha in spite of the wet field conditions. SSHs showed superior performance, such as productivity, capacity of work and removal of extraneous matter, in the small and wet fields. MSHs could not cope with such bad conditions. Soil compaction and the disturbance of the soil surface by SSHs were less than those by MSHs. In addition, ratoon cane yields were higher the year following harvesting by SSHs rather than harvesting by MSHs. Even higher subsequent yields were obtained when subsoiling was used after SSH harvesting. These yields were significantly higher than after MSH harvesting and subsoiling. Small tractors with an attached cultivator or stable-shaver and two-wheel tractors could operate without any trouble after harvesting by SSHs. Overall, SSHs were superior than MSHs in Okinawa because of the rainy and cloudy weather during the harvesting season and the small fields. We recommend that farmers replace the wheel-type LSH/MSHs with the crawler-type SSHs. Acknowledgements We thank Mr Toru Akachi for his help and expertise with sugarcane harvesters. The help and assistance of staff members of Miyako Agricultural Extension Centre is gratefully appreciated. REFERENCES Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council (AFFRC). (1972). The measurement of soil properties. Yokendo, Tokyo, 312 pp. Akachi, T., Ishiki, G., Oshiro, T. and Miyahira, M. (1994). The adaptability of sugarcane harvester for the rain Bull. Stud. Sugarcane, Assoc. Okinawa Sugarcane Stud., 21: 558-559. Akachi, T., Morita, T., Miyahira, M. and Shoda, M. (1998). Characteristics and performances of major sugarcane harvesters introduced to Okinawa. Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center. pp. 920.
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Davis, H.B., Friday, N.W. and Dey, A.D. (2005). Progress with mechanising field operations in the Guyana sugar industry. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 25(2): 364370. Davis, R.J. and Norris, C.P. (2005). An investigation of the feeding characteristics of the forwardfeeding zone of chopper harvesters: development of a research harvester. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 25(2): 316325. Davis, R.J., Schembri, M.G. and Kingston, G. (2005). Optimising machine component layout for enhanced harvester feeding performance in lodged crops. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 25(2): 326331. Department of Agriculture of Okinawa Prefecture. (2005). The annual report of sugarcane production in Okinawa Prefecture 2004/2005. Okinawa Prefecture, Naha. pp. 6364. Department of Agriculture of Okinawa Prefecture. (2011). The annual report of sugarcane production in Okinawa Prefecture 2010/2011. Okinawa Prefecture, Naha. p. 73. Ishikawa, T., Matsumoto, N., Kawashima, T. and Sugimoto, A. (1999). Crop roots and the hard soil layer in northeast Thailand. Root Research, 8: 3538. Miyoshi, H. (1972). Correlation between root system spreading in good soil condition and effective soil depth. Jap. Soc. Soil Sci. Plant Nutrit., 43(3): 9297 Nakasone, S. and Oshiro, K. (1984). The development of ratoon practices. Bull. Stud. Sugarcane, Assoc. Okinawa Sugarcane Stud., 12: 218219. Okinawa Seito Co., Ltd. (2006, 200809). The daily and annual report summary for sugarcane harvesting. Okinawa Seito, Miyako. Shinzato, Y. (2006). Ratoon practices to increase sugarcane yields after harvest with small size harvester. Proc. Assoc. Okinawa Sugarcane Stud. Ann. Meet., 33: 3845. Torres, J. and Pantoja, J.E. (2005). Soil compaction due to mechanical harvesting in wet soil. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 25(2): 332339. Torres, J.,Yang, S. and Villegas, F. (1989) . Soil compaction and sugarcane stool damage due to semi-mechanised harvesting in the wet season. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 20(2): 9921000. Whiteing, C., Norris, C.P. and Paton, D.C. (2001). Extraneous matter versus cane loss: finding a balance in chopper harvested green cane. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 24(2): 276-282.

Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

PERFORMANCE DE RECOLTEUSES DE CANNE A SUCRE A IN OKINAWA Par YOSHIAKI SHINZATO1, KAZUMI UEHARA2et MASAMI UENO3
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Centre de RechercheAgricole de la Prfecture dOkinawa, 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336, Japon 2 Centre de RechercheAgricole de la Prfecture dOkinawa, 1-15-9 Okita, Nago-city, Okinawa 905-0019, Japon 3 Facult dAgriculture, Universitde laRyukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0213, Japon shinzay@pref.okinawa.lg.jp MOTS CLES: Rcolteuse Canne Sucre, Petites Machines, Compactage, Repousses.
PLUS DE 300 PETITES RCOLTEUSES de canne sucre (SSHs) sont utilises Okinawa et Kagoshima au Japon. Le rendement des moteurs est de 5095 kW et le poids des machines varie entre 4 et 7 t. Il y a plusieurs modles de petites machines dveloppes par trois entreprises Japonaises locales et une entreprise Australienne. A Okinawa, 97 rcolteuses de grande et moyenne taille et 165 SSHs ont t utilises durant la campagne de rcolte 20102011 (dcembre mars) pour rcolter 40% des champs de canne sucre (2516 ha et 128000 t). Les rendements canne Okinawa sont plus importantes qu Kagoshima, surtout la canne vierge tablie en t, ce qui cause des problmes pour lutilisation des SSHs.Ces derniers ont t tests au champ pour valuer leurs performances et adaptation dans le but damliorer leur opration en conditions humides dcoulant de pluies frquentes pendant la rcolte.La performance des SSHs dans les champs humides avec un rendement de 120 t/ha et des cannes couches tait meilleure que celle des plus grosses machines. Les pertes en cours de rcolte dans les petites parcelles avec des fourrires troites taient presque les mmes quavec les rcolteuses de taille moyenne (MSHs). Larrachage et les dgts aux souches ainsi que la matire trangre dans les champs humides o les SSHs taient utilises taient infrieurs aux champs rcolts par les MSHs. Comme les MSHs causaient plus de compactage et laissaient des ornires plus profondes que les SSHs, il tait difficile dutiliser des petits cultivateurs et des motoculteurs aprs une rcolte par des MSHs. Toutefois, ces machines pouvaient tre utilises sans difficults aprs une rcolte par des SSHs. De plus, les SSHs peuvent oprer dans des espacements entre-rangs troits qui donnent une meilleure productivit. Dans la globalit, il a t dmontr que les SSHs avaient une forte adaptabilit dans les champs humides de canne sucre dOkinawa.

Rsum

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DESEMPEO DE COSECHADORAS DE CAA DE AZCAR EN OKINAWA Por YOSHIAKI SHINZATO1, KAZUMI UEHARA2 y MASAMI UENO3 Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center, 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336, Japan 2 Okinawa Prefectural College of Agriculture, 1-15-9 Okita, Nago-city, Okinawa 905-0019, Japan 3 Faculty of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0213, Japan shinzay@pref.okinawa.lg.jp PALABRAS CLAVE: Cosechadora de Caa de Azcar, Tamao Pequeo, Compactacin, Socas. Resumen MS DE 300 COSECHADORAS pequeas de caa de azcar (CPCA) son usadas en Okinawa y Kagoshima en Japn. La potencia del motor es de 50-95 kW y el peso de estas mquinas flucta entre 4 y 7 t. Hay varios modelos de mquinas pequeas desarrolladas por tres compaas locales japonesas y una compaa australiana. En Okinawa, en el periodo de cosecha 2010-11 (Diciembre a Marzo) se usaron 97 cosechadoras de tamao medio a grande y 165 CPCA con las cuales se cosech mecnicamente el 40% de los campos de caa de azcar (2516 ha y 128 000 t). La caa de azcar en Okinawa es ms grande que en Kagoshima, especialmente las plantillas de verano, y esto crea problemas en la operacin de las CPCA. Estas fueron probadas en el campo para evaluar su desempeo y adaptabilidad con el objetivo de mejorar su operacin bajo las condiciones hmedas causadas por las lluvias frecuentes durante la estacin de cosecha. Las CPCA se desempearon mejor en los campos hmedos que las mquinas grandes, cosechando hasta 120 t/ha de caa volcada. Las prdidas de cosecha de las CPCA en campos pequeos con zonas de volteo estrechas fueron casi las mismas que las de las cosechadoras de tamao mediano (CMCA). El dao a las cepas, cepas arrancadas y materia extraa en los campos hmedos donde se usaron CPCA fueron menores que aquellos donde se usaron CMCA. Debido a que las CMCA causaron mayor compactacin del suelo y huellas ms profundas que las CPCA, fue difcil usar cultivadores pequeos y tractores de dos ruedas despus de la cosecha con CMCA. Sin embargo, estas mismas mquinas pudieron ser usadas despus de la cosecha con CPCA sin ninguna dificultad. Adems, las CPCA pueden trabajar con espacio entre surcos ms angosto lo que resulta en incremento de la productividad. En general, se demostr que las CPCA tuvieron alta adaptabilidad a los campos hmedos de caa de azcar de Okinawa.
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Shinzato Y. et al. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., Vol. 28, 2013 ______________________________________________________________________________________

DESEMPENHO DE COLHEDORAS DE CANA-DE-ACAR EM OKINAWA Por YOSHIAKI SHINZATO1, KAZUMI UEHARA2 e MASAMI UENO3 Okinawa Prefectural Agricultural Research Center, 820 Makabe, Itoman, Okinawa 901-0336, Japo 2 Okinawa Prefectural College of Agriculture, 1-15-9 Okita, Nago-city, Okinawa 905-0019, Japo 3 Faculdade de Agronomia, University of the Ryukyus, 1 Senbaru, Nishihara-cho, Okinawa 903-0213, Japo shinzay@pref.okinawa.lg.jp PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Colhedora de Cana-de-Acar, Pequeno Porte, Compactao, Soqueira. Resumo MAIS DE 300 COLHEDORAS de pequeno porte (SSHs) so usadas em Okinawa e Kagoshima no Japo. O rendimento do motor de 50-95 kW e o peso das mquinas varia de 4 a 7 toneladas. H vrios modelos de mquinas compactas desenvolvidos por trs empresas japonesas locais e uma empresa australiana. Em Okinawa, 97 colhedoras de grande e mdio porte e 165 colhedoras de pequeno porte foram utilizadas na safra 2010-11 (dezembro-maro) para colher mecanicamente 40% das plantaes de cana (2516 ha e 128 000 t). As culturas de cana em Okinawa so maiores do que aquelas em Kagoshima, especialmente a cana planta de vero, e isso cria um problema na operao das colhedoras de pequeno porte. Elas foram testadas em campo para avaliar o desempenho e a adaptabilidade com o objetivo de aprimorar sua operao sob condies de umidade causadas pelas chuvas frequentes durante a safra. As colhedoras de pequeno porte apresentaram melhor desempenho do que as colhedoras maiores em campos midos, colhendo com 120 t/ha de rendimento e cana tombada. As perdas de colheita por colhedoras de pequeno porte foram praticamente as mesmas daquelas experimentadas por colhedoras de mdio porte em campos pequenos com promontrios estreitos. Danos em touceiras, touceiras arrancadas e impurezas em campos midos em que as colhedoras de pequeno porte foram utilizadas foram menores do que nos locais em que colhedoras de mdio porte foram utilizadas. Pelo fato de as colhedoras de mdio porte causarem maior compactao no solo e deixarem trilhas mais profundas do que as colhedoras de pequeno porte, tornou-se difcil utilizar cultivadores de pequeno porte e tratores de duas rodas aps a colheita por colhedoras de mdio porte. Entretanto, essas mquinas poderiam ser utilizadas aps a colheita por colhedoras de pequeno porte sem qualquer dificuldade. Alm disso, as colhedoras de pequeno porte podem operar em espaamentos estreitos entre linhas, o que resulta em maior produtividade. De modo geral, comprovou-se que as colhedoras de pequeno porte possuem alta adaptabilidade nos campos midos com plantaes de cana de Okinawa.
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