THE USE OF AN ELECTRONIC BEET TO EVALUATE SUGAR BEET DAMAGE AT VARIOUS FORWARD SPEEDS OF A MECHANICAL HARVESTER

Abstract

Mechanical harvesting strongly affects the quality of sugar beets, mainly in terms of root injuries, tare, andextracted sugar. In Mediterranean countries, the effects of sugar beet damage are more critical because of the warm andhumid climate at harvesting time. In order to investigate the dynamic interaction between mechanical tools and roots,electronic devices have been developed in some European countries for measuring impacts experienced by roots when passingthrough the harvesters. At the University of Bologna, an electronic beet with a 4905 m/s 2 triaxial accelerometer wasdeveloped in 1998. This device was used in a field trial for measuring and recording impacts in terms of peak acceleration,duration, and velocity change during impact. The device was placed into the soil in place of a real beet and then harvestedby a sixrow selfpropelled harvester, which was tested at four different forward speeds. Assessments of the level of damageon the harvested sugar beets were also carried out according to the IIRB international method. The aim of the study was toevaluate how different forward speeds tested on a single harvester can affect damage to the roots, to assess the damage causedat each step of the harvesting process, and to find a correlation between damage and impacts.<br><br>Mechanical parameters recorded by the electronic beet were referenced to three specific positions, defined as A, B, andC zones, within the harvester. The ANOVA results in A zone, composed of lifting shares and roller bed, and in B zone, composedof transfer web and turbines, showed a statistical significance. In C zone, composed of tank elevator and tank, the variableshad no statistical significance. The results of the trial showed that A zone had the highest values of the variables. A harvesterforward speed of 6 km/h caused the fewest taproot breaks and bruises. A linear model describing the relationship betweentaproot breaks and impact velocity change showed a statistical significance for A zone, while no significance was determinedfor B zone.