Effectiveness of Corn (Zea mays ssp L. var. Saccharata) Seed Harvesting Speed Using a Mini Combine Harvester in Corn Seed Production
Abstract
Malaysia's animal feed production exceeds demand, accounting for about 45-65% of the composition of most feed products. In Malaysia, grain corn imports increased from approximately 2.5 million tonnes in 2000 to 4.0 million tonnes in 2019 for use as animal feed. This experiment was conducted at MARDI Seberang Perai, Penang, from June 2018 to the end of February 2020, using a Worldstar 7.0 PLUS (WS7.0PLUS) mini combine harvester. The basic operation of this mini combine harvester is similar to the Kubota mini combine harvester, which is widely used for paddy and grain corn harvesting. During the harvesting process, three methods were employed to test the speed of the mini combine harvester. Although this harvester is capable of harvesting four rows at once, considerations about potential plant losses necessitated harvesting only three rows for the purposes of this study. The harvester’s speed directly affected the loss rate and work efficiency, depending on the soil surface conditions in the test plot. Harvesting losses were categorized into two types: losses on the cutting table and losses during seed separation. Losses on the cutting table occurred in front of the harvester during the cutting process and were measured by collecting plants left in each row after the harvester passed. Losses during separation occurred when plant seeds fell behind the machine during the separation process, and these were measured by collecting samples using a 2 m x 2 m PVC quadrant placed behind the machine. The total losses due to the cutting table and separation system during harvesting using the mini combine harvester ranged from 2.45% to 6.43%. Each harvester speed produced varying results, significantly affecting the overall loss rate and efficiency of the operation.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Elvina Yulianda Tarigan, Widihastuty, Adli Fikri Ahmad Sayu
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