Vol. 11, Issue 12 (2022)

Author(s):
Dr. Dattatray V Nimbalkar, AS Kale, Amol Nimbalkar and Ketankumar U Mane

Abstract:
In India, efforts into mechanisation of cotton crops are being attempted for more than a decade. Numerous designs have been evaluated by Govt. and Private Organisations. However, most of the designs failed to perform under field conditions. A commercial cotton picker prototype suitable for Indian cotton farms is being evaluated for harvesting of cotton crops sown on high density planting system for two cotton seasons. This prototype is developed by attaching the picker head of the worldwide used 6-rows cotton picker at the side of a 60 HP tractor with some specially designed attachments. The issues like cost of processing, yarn realisation percentage, fibre losses during cleaning operations, development of suitable genotypes, agronomic practices etc. that need to be addressed for successful mechanical harvesting of cotton crops in India are discussed in great length. The fibre parameters and trash analysis data pertaining to the field trials are also presented in this study. The field evaluation data and fibre quality indices reveal that the commercial picker to be launched for mechanical picking of cotton in India is promising.