INFLUENCE OF OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS OF MECHANIZED HARVESTING ON SUGARCANE LOSSES AND IMPURITIES

ABSTRACT Operational conditions of mechanized harvesting can affect the quality of harvested sugarcane. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the influence of the displacement speed and cutting height on the quality of the raw material during the mechanized harvest of sugarcane. Vegetable losses were accounted for in the field by manual collection of the fractions left after harvest. Vegetable and mineral impurities were determined at the processing stage in the laboratory. Both the displacement speed and cutting height did not affect vegetable losses. However, the increase in vegetal impurities occurred at higher displacement speeds, whereas lower cutting heights resulted in higher amounts of mineral impurities.