EVALUATION OF THE AUTOMATIC BASE-CUTTER CONTROL SYSTEM IN THE AUSTRALIAN SUGARCANE INDUSTRY

SUGARCANE HARVESTING is one of the more costly operations in sugar production. The efficiency and quality of this process still relies very much on the skills of harvester operators. The height control of the base-cutter system requires a lot of concentration of effort from operators. Bad results not only have negative economic impacts, but also environmental impacts due to sucrose losses in the field. An automated base-cutter system, initially developed in Cuba and later intensively tested and widely adopted in Brazil by Techagro, has been also evaluated in the Australian sugarcane industry. It works on the basis of measuring the pressure on base-cutter disks several times a second with a pressure sensor, and then processing the signal with an on-board computer that automatically controls the base-cutter height according to settings previously defined by the operator. A total of 12 harvesters, including Austoff, Cameco and new John Deere, were fitted with the system during 2007 harvesting season. There were six at Tully, five at the Herbert and one in the Burdekin. Trials were conducted under several field conditions, which included light sandy soils to heavier alluvial soils; fields with dual and single rows; plant and ratoon crops; and different row profiles. Evaluations included field measurements of stool damage, stubble height and estimated losses. Quality data were measured at the mill when possible, as fibre content, CCS, juice purity and soil content. The results of the trials varied slightly with field conditions and operators, but in general showed several benefits with the use of the automated base-cutter control system. Average values showed reduced stool damage by 5.7%; similar soil levels; reduced stubble height by 22.5 mm; and reduced cane losses by 1.7 t/ha. Differences in fibre, CCS and juice purity were small (0.1%) and not statisticaly significant. Factors influencing the adoption of this technology are discussed. These include not only the economic and environmental impact, but also some social components such as the increasing lack of skilled operators.