Cotton is one of the basic raw materials for the textile industry. Production of high-quality cotton depends on seed variety selection, production practices, and a well-planned harvest.
At cotton harvest time crop management solutions consist of scheduling, effectively picking, and timing harvest to get the best lint quality cotton yield
Harvester adjustment and operation affect quality and yield. The improper adjustment will reduce quality. For example, poor doffing causes a spindle twist.
When the farmer does not adjust or operate the harvester properly, then the farmer will suffer decreased harvesting efficiency or yield loss in cotton. Harvester’s loss level normally decreases as a percentage of the total yield as yield increases. Here we are going to discuss cotton pickers in detail.
Cotton Picker
Cotton Pickers are working like hand pickers. There are four types of cotton pickers available on market.
Cotton picker are classified based on the following points
- Method of mounting
- Number of rows harvested
- Height of picking drum
- Type of Spindle used
Cotton pickers are may Tractor-operated or self-propelled. Cotton pickers that can work like vacuum cleaners and operated with a mounted sack on operators like sprayers are famous in countries like India.
The best thing about this cotton picker is it pick cotton from open balls only and immature balls are remaining as it is on the plant for the further maturing process. These machines are best for harvesting cotton with minimum loss and help to save time and labor costs.
Basic Components of Cotton Picker
- Support system for plant
- Picker to pick cotton from the ball
- Convers unit
- Storage unit
Cotton Picking Efficiency Losses
Cotton pickers can harvest 95-98 percent of the total cotton produced a crop. But sometimes farmers experience field harvest loss near about 20%.
Spindles
The basic principle of removing the spindle from the cotton plant is winding the seed cotton from the open cotton boll by all cotton pickers or manual. Each spindle is available straight in the cotton ball and then it gets removed by pickers without damaging the remaining cotton plant.
Drum Type Spindle Arrangement
The mechanical cotton pickers have tapered spindles and small-diameter straight spindles. Spindles are carried on bars in vertical drums and maybe with endless chains. Tapered spindles picked on drum-type pickers.
Chain Belt Spindle Arrangement
This picking process with a chain belt unit is the same as with the drum-type picker. But the difference is that the chain belt principle permits the spindle to remain in the picking zone for a longer time. This type of arrangement is used for spindles which are normally straight. The spindle is rotated by a roller.
Reasons of Spindle Moistened with Water
- Because cotton adheres better to a wet steel surface.
- Because to keep spindle clean
- Because to remove gummy substances
Expulsion of Cotton from The Shaft
On the machine with the tightened shaft, the seed cotton is eliminated from the axle by methods for turning doffer plates. The cotton is constrained off as the dogger drag moves over the shaft surface toward the tip.
With little breadth straight axles stripping is cultivated by moving the shafts pivotally through the space between the intently fitted stripper shoes. Tightened shafts are turning when doffed, though little measurement straight axles are most certainly not.
Execution of Cotton Pickers
There are numerous components that influence the presentation of cotton pickers. Cotton pickers perform best for cotton plants are of medium size.
Medium-sized plants move through the machine and license the shafts to draw in the cotton better compared to enormous plants with numerous long appendages. The machine requires a very much opened boll with locks that are soft and fiber that is sufficiently long to fold over the shaft.
Compound defoliation is by and large done before the picking activity, which helps the concurrent opening of the greater part of the cotton bolls. A postponement in picking and early opening of cotton ball bring about air harm to the uncovered cotton fiber.
A slight rise of the dirt at the base of the plant and sans weed fields is fundamental for the better execution of cotton pickers. Genuinely thick and uniform dispersed plants help the presentation of the mechanical cotton pickers.
Best Things About Cotton Picker
- Save Time of harvesting cotton
- Pick mature balls without damaging the plant
- There is scope to grow immature cotton balls
- Save the labor cost
- Help to improve cotton quality with dust-free handling.
Cotton Picker is the best time-saver farm equipment for farmers in India. If you want to keep yourself updated with new farm equipment like cotton pickers, then download the KhetiGaadi Mobile application.
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