DETERMINATION OF EXTRANEOUS MATTER AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO DIFFERENT HARVESTING SYSTEMS IN THE COLOMBIAN SUGAR AGROINDUSTRY

摘要

Extraneous matter content is one of the factors of great importance associated with the harvesting, loading and transport of sugarcane from the field to the mill. Extensive research conducted in different regions of the world has shown that extraneous matter affects both production and the quality of the end product (sugar). Consequently, one of the objectives proposed by the Colombian agroindustry is the need to have evaluation systems that guarantee the rapid and reliable determination of extraneous matter that enters a mill and to identify the best harvesting options, especially for green (i.e., nonburned) cane and to reduce the content of extraneous matter in the cane in the field or delivered to the mill. The implementation of sampling systems and control of extraneous matter by means of mechanized core sampling or the manual cleaning of samples obtained at a station for the postharvest evaluation of cane were evaluated for different harvesting methods. Similarly, three harvesting systems for green cane were evaluated under the conditions of the Colombian sugar sector, and their impact on the incorporation of extraneous matter during the harvest as well as on factory yield were determined. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that harvesting sugarcane with the manually cut, clean green cane procedure (System 1) contributed to reducing the levels of extraneous matter in the cane for milling and to increasing sugar yields. The possibility of using NIR (near infrared spectroscopy) to quantify extraneous matter incorporated in the cane during its cutting, loading, transporting and delivery to the mill is being explored in conjunction with a pilot mill in the Cauca Valley.