IMPORTANCE OF CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND EQUIPMENT LIFETIME IN THE STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL MANAGEMENT OF SUGARCANE HARVESTERS

ABSTRACT Recently, Brazilian agriculture and the mechanization process have been improved and developed, particularly in sugarcane cultivation. The developed processes should adopt suitable management practices in terms of the technical, economic, and operational logistical aspects. As a management tool, the present study aimed to measure the impact of the accumulated use of harvesters (life in h) and agricultural productivity (Mg · ha−1) on the harvesting operational capacity (HOC). Mathematical modeling was performed on data obtained from eight sugarcane production units, and equations corresponding to the HOC as a function of the harvester's life and the crop agricultural productivity were developed. The equation that best represented the phenomenon was selected. The values of the HOC depend on operational conditions and range from (17 to 44) Mg · h−1, thereby demonstrating significant operational and economic discrepancies. When the mean life of the harvester was 10,000 h and the mean productivity of the cane field was 80.0 Mg · ha−1, an HOC of 31.7 Mg · h−1 was obtained. It was found that agricultural productivity is directly proportional to the HOC, whereas the harvester's life is inversely proportional to the HOC; the parameters are not linear in both cases.