Quantitative losses in mechanized soybean harvest due to the internal regulations of the machine

Abstract

The increase in agricultural production began to demand greater quality and speed in the harvest, since the soybean harvest is a process that directly influences the final yield, and must be carried out with minimal losses. The objective of this work was to evaluate soybean harvest losses in concave opening and rotor rotation settings. The trial was conducted in March 2022, at the Segredo farm, in Nova Crixás. The design used was completely randomized in a 2x2 factorial scheme, with 2 concave settings (12 mm and 14 mm) and two threshing rotor rotations (526 rpm and 620 rpm), with ten replications per treatment. Natural losses (PN), platform losses (PP), internal losses (PI), total machine losses (PTM), total harvest losses (PTC) and grain moisture were evaluated. The data were submitted to statistical process control with the creation of control charts by variables. The natural losses were 9.26 kg ha^-1, totaling 58.03% of total harvest losses. The platform losses were on average 4.22 kg ha^-1, representing 62.99% of the machine's total losses, which were still composed of internal losses, with 2.48 kg ha^-1, with no differences between treatments, falling below acceptable limits.