IMPACTO DA VELOCIDADE DE OPERAÇÃO NA PERDA DE GRÃOS DE MILHO DURANTE A COLHEITA MECANIZADA

Abstract

This study sought to analyze the effect of operating speed on losses of corn grains collected during the distribution of straw from the harvester, with the aim of identifying which speed provides the best balance between the quantity of corn harvested and losses. For this purpose, three different speeds were compared (3 km h-1, 5 km h-1 and 7 km h-1) and losses in the right, central and left zones of the harvester were observed. Evaluation of the results was carried out using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test, to compare the average grain losses at each speed. The results indicated that the speed of 7 km h-1 was the most efficient to reduce losses, especially in the middle and left regions of the machine, while the speed of 3 km h-1 caused greater losses, mainly in the central region. It is concluded that adjustments in operating speed are essential to optimize harvesting efficiency, with the choice of the ideal speed depending on the balance between the quantity of corn collected and the minimization of losses.