EFFECT OF CANE STOOL DENSITY AND STUBBLE HEIGHT ON SUGARCANE STUBBLE DAMAGE IN HAWAII FIELDS

摘要

Sugarcane stubble damage is affected by various factors related to crop production and harvesting operation. This study aimed at investigating how cane stool density and stubble height affected sugarcane stubble damage in typical Hawaii sugarcane fields. In the study, stubble damage was classified based on the damage length: lightly damaged (damage length 51 mm), moderately damaged (51 mm damage length 102 mm), and severely damaged (damage length > 102 mm). The measured stubble damage levels were then plotted against cane stool density and stubble height to study the changes in stubble damage with the changes in these parameters. The results showed that cane stool density (range: 75 to 142 canes m(-2)) had a negative correlation (r(2) = 0.87) and stubble height (range: 0.12 to 0.59 m) had a positive correlation (r(2) = 0.79) with stubble damage level. Specifically, when stubble height increased from 0.12 to 0.59 m, the average damage length increased from 15 to 85 mm. Meanwhile, the percentage of severely damaged stubble increased from 0% to 53%. Understanding the relationship that stubble damage level has with cane stool density and stubble height could provide fundamental information for engineers to improve the design of sugarcane basecutting mechanisms by optimizing basecutter height control, which could lead to reduced harvest-induced damage of sugarcane stubble.