Author
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Siemens, Mark |
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Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 4/19/2006 Publication Date: 9/1/2006 Citation: Siemens, M.C. 2006. Effect of guard spacing, guard attachments and reel type on chickpea harvesting losses. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. VOL. 22(5):651-657. Interpretive Summary: Due to the lack of specialized equipment, harvesting losses of garbanzo beans can be excessive as compared to other major crops like wheat, corn, and soybeans. This study was conducted to determine if header technologies developed for soybean and other pulse crops would also be effective at reducing chickpea harvesting losses. Eight different combine header configurations were investigated during 2002. Equipment evaluated in the study included two types of knife guards, two guard attachments and two types of pick-up reels. Alternative header configurations were effective at reducing header losses as compared to a conventional header equipped with a batted pick-up reel and single density knife guards. Double density guards were found to reduce losses by 43 percent as compared to single density guards. Long plastic finger double density guard attachments were found to reduce losses by 44 percent as compared to trials without the attachment. Use of short plastic finger guard attachments did not reduce harvesting losses or combine yield as compared to not using the attachment. An air reel, which uses air pressure to deliver the crop into the header rather than mechanical force, reduced harvesting losses by 43 percent as compared to a conventional pick-up reel. When the header was configured with the three technologies found to reduce harvesting losses -double density guards, long plastic finger attachments and the air reel, harvesting losses were 3.6 percent of total yield. As compared the standard header, where 25.7% of total yield, this represents an increase in farm revenue of $34/ac. The losses reported in this study suggest that garbanzo bean harvesting losses can be economically important to growers and that commercially available header technologies can be used to significantly reduce harvesting losses. Technical Abstract: Due to the lack of equipment designed specifically for chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), gathering losses during mechanical harvest can be excessive. This study was conducted to determine if header technologies developed for soybean and other pulse crops would also be effective at reducing chickpea harvesting losses. Eight different combine header configurations were investigated on a field that yielded 856 kg/ha in 2002. Equipment evaluated included two types of knife guards, two guard attachments and two types of pick-up reels. Regardless of header configuration, header losses accounted for 77 to 93% of total harvesting losses indicating that crop gathering is the dominant source of harvesting losses for chickpea. Alternative header configurations were effective at reducing header losses as compared to a conventional header equipped with a batted pick-up reel and single density knife guards where harvesting losses were 25.7% of the total yield. Double density guards reduced losses by 43% as compared to single density guards when used with an air reel. Reductions in header losses did not occur when double density guards were used with the batted pick-up reel. Long plastic finger attachments were found to reduce losses by 44% as compared to standard guards without the attachment. As compared to the batted pick-up reel, the air reel reduced header and total harvesting losses by more than 43% when used with double density knife guards and plastic finger attachments, but not when used with single density guards. When the header was configured with double density guards, long plastic finger attachments and the air reel, header losses were reduced to 2.8% of total yield. The results of this study indicate that chickpea header losses can be excessive and that combinations of header technologies can be used to significantly reduce chickpea harvesting losses to levels comparable with other pulse crops. |
