DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT FOR TRANSPLANTING SUGARCANE (Saccharum spp. HYBRIDS) SPROUTS

Resumen

Manual planting of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. hybrids) in Mexico is slow, and eye bud germination is deficient. Alternative planting methods must be adopted in order to improve sugarcane field productivity. This study evaluated the field performance of a tractor-mounted planter prototype when transplanting two-month-old nursery-grown sugarcane sprouts in relation to the following parameters: sound sprout treatments, row separation between seedlings, upright placement into the soil, appropriate soil covering, and field uniformity at planting. This mechanical equipment was tested on a readily tilled soil suitable for sugarcane planting, although slightly stoney on the surface. The tractor and implement combination were set to travel at a field speed of 0.3 m s^-1 when laying seedlings into the row at 900 mm separation. Transplanting separation between seedlings onto the row had a variation of 3.4 %. When assisted by two laborers for planting, the tractor and implement combination achieved a field capacity of 2.5 ha d^-1. Thus, for a field capacity of 2 ha d^-1 and 120 workdays per planting season, the investment in the machine can be returned in two years. Consequently, planting sugarcane sprouts using the planter prototype is up to eight times more cost-effective than manual transplanting.