Types of harvesting raw cotton

There are two methods of harvesting cotton. One is the traditional form, ie manual assembly. The other is modern harvesting methods (combines). Both methods are actively used in our country. Both types of savings have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages and disadvantages of manual harvesting of cotton:

• The method of manual harvesting of cotton is one of the traditional types. In this method, people play a role, not technology. The advantages and disadvantages of the method, in which hundreds of workers are in the field, are:
• Losses are minimized when cotton is harvested by hand. There may not even be a loss;
• Hand-picked cotton is both high quality and clean;
• If cotton is harvested for varietal testing or seed production, manual harvesting is more appropriate;
• Due to the high labor costs of manual cotton picking, the cost of the product is high.

Advantages and disadvantages of machine harvesting of cotton:

With the development of technology, a second method was developed against manual cotton picking. The entry of modern machinery into the cotton sector has led to changes in the cotton harvest. As with manual assembly, there are advantages and disadvantages to this method;

• Cotton can be harvested faster by machine. The harvest season ends before the autumn rains begin;
• Compared to manual harvesting, when cotton is harvested by machine, the cost of the product is reduced by up to 30%;
• When harvested by machine, the field is freed from the cotton crop in time and there is ample time for the next sowing;
• A well-functioning combine can work 60-100 people. If the combine is more modern, it is possible to harvest 4-5 tons of raw products per hour with a width of 5 meters. This means replacing 400-500 cotton pickers;
• When cotton is harvested by machine, if the height of the bush is more than 100 centimeters, the bushes will lie on the ground during harvesting and the quality of harvesting will decrease. From this point of view, low-growing, fast-growing and mass-opening cotton varieties adapted to machine harvesting should be cultivated;
• The land on which the combine is used must be clean and smooth. A field free of weeds is a must. The weeds in the field pass between the spindles of the combine and the combine cannot fully harvest the cotton, and the harvested cotton turns green;
• If there are cotton bushes in the field, they must be cleaned. If not cleaned, the combine becomes difficult to assemble and the quality of work decreases.

Quality Protection

Gathering cotton is not the end of the matter. Some rules must be followed to ensure that the quality of the harvested cotton is not low. There are several steps to do this:

• During the cotton harvest, the product must be cleaned of foreign objects and debris. Purely harvested cotton is of better quality;
• If the cotton is harvested by hand, it must be packed in air-permeable bags or sacks;
• The cotton harvest should be completed by the autumn rains;
• Wet harvesting of cotton reduces the quality of the fiber.