Tracking Cotton Fiber Quality Throughout a Stripper Harvester: Part II

Cotton fiber quality begins to degrade naturally with the opening of the boll and mechanical harvesting processes are perceived to exacerbate fiber degradation. Previous research indicates that stripper harvested cotton generally has lower fiber quality and higher foreign matter content than picker harvested cotton. The main objectives of this project were: To track cotton fiber quality and foreign matter content throughout the harvesting units and conveying/cleaning systems on a brush-roll stripper harvester, determine an optimum machine conveyance location to target for redesign with the goal of reducing foreign matter content and maintaining fiber quality to the level of the preceding location, and design and prove the new conveyance method aids in foreign matter content removal and maintaining fiber quality. Seed cotton samples were collected at six locations including: 1) hand-picked from the field, 2) just after the brush rolls in the row unit, 3) just after the row units, 4) from the separation duct after the cotton was conveyed by the cross auger, 5) from the basket with the field cleaner by-passed, and 6) from the basket after the cotton was processed through the field cleaner. Seed cotton samples collected at each location were analyzed for foreign matter content and ginned to produce fiber for HVI and AFIS fiber analyses. Results show that the row unit augers and the field cleaner are the most effective systems on a cotton stripper for removing foreign material. The results of this work indicate that the cross auger and pneumatic conveying systems on stripper harvesters could be redesigned to help improve seed cotton cleanliness while helping to preserve fiber quality. Thus, the final targeting area was selected as the cross auger trough. A laboratory test stand was designed and built to represent one side of the auger trough.