The estimation methods of oilseed rape harvesting losses
Department of Agricultural Machinery, Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Studentų 11, LT-53361 Kaunas, Lithuania; e-mail: Rolandas.Domeika@lzuu.lt
Abstract:
Oilseed rape harvesting losses, which occur during cutting, separation and cleaning and shaking, reach 5–10%; cutting and separation processes account for 80–90% of the total harvesting losses. A special test stand was prepared for the research of oilseed rape cutting and separation losses. It was established that the active twin-blade knife separator and the passive triangular separator on the header of a harvester have influence on the separation losses in 0.5 m on both sides of the separator motion line. Separation losses using the active twin-blade knife separator were twice less than using the passive triangular separator. The optimal active twin- blade knife separator moving speed is 5 km h-1. The analysis of the research results has revealed that traditional estimation methods of oilseed rape harvesting losses are not correct and it is necessary to use a 0.1×0.1 m wire frame for the estimation of cutting losses and a 0.1×0.5 m wire frame for the estimation of separation losses.
Key words:
harvesting, loss estimation methodology, losses, oilseed rape