|Douglas Jr, Clyde|
|Pikul Jr, Joseph|
Submitted to: Applied Engineering in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 8, 1995
Publication Date: N/A
Interpretive Summary: A new grain harvesting technique that was developed in the United Kingdom strips kernels from plants leaving standing stems anchored to the soil. This harvesting technique has potential soil and water conservation benefits. Long standing stems may trap more snow, reduce wind erosion, leave crop residues more evenly distributed, reduce evaporation and conserve soil water. Harvesting losses associated with this new technology are not documented for harvest conditions in the Pacific Northwest and the Northern Great Plains. Adoption of this new technology would be limited if grain loss was excessive. Tests were conducted near Moro and Pendleton, OR and Sidney, Mt. Combine header grain loss decreased as combine speed increased and stripper hood clearance decreased. Losses ranged from 50 to over 500 kg/ha (0.7 to over 7.4 bu/acre). Header grain losses from combines equipped with strippers traveling at 8 km/h (5 mile/h) were similar to losses from conventional combines equipped with cutter-bar headers. Results from this work establish that stripper-headers can be used to harvest hard red and soft white wheat in the Pacific Northwest and Northern Great Plains. Header grain losses would be similar to that from convention combines.
Technical Abstract: Field tests were conducted to evaluate header grain loss for a combine equipped with a 3.7 m wide Shelbourne Reynolds stripper-header harvesting wheat. Eight tests were conducted over two years in the Columbia Plateau and Northern Great Plains. Hard red spring and winter wheat were harvested near Sidney, MT and soft white wheat was harvested near Pendleton and Moro, OR. Combine speed, stripper rotor speed, and stripper hood position were evaluated at these locations where grain yield ranged from 2000 to 6200 kg/ha. Losses ranged from 50 to over 500 kg/ha. Header loss decreased with increased combine speed and decreased hood clearance but stripper rotor speed had little influence on header loss. A stripper-header unit traveling at 8 km/h had comparable header loss to conventional units traveling at 2 to 4 km/h.