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

Manual planting of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. Hybrids) in Mexico is slow and eye-bud germination is deficient. Alternative planting methods have to be adopted in order to improve sugarcane field productivity. This work score the field performance of a tractor mounted planter prototype when transplanting two months old nursery growth sugarcane (Saccharum spp) sprouts, in relation to parameters; sound sprouts treatments, row separation between seedlings, up right placement into the soil, appropriate soil covering and field uniformity at planting. This mechanical equipment was trialed when operating on a readily soil tilled for sugarcane planting, although slightly stoned on the surface. Tractor and implement combination was 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 can achieve a field capacity of 2.5 ha day-1. Thus, for a field capacity of 2 ha day-1 and operating a 120 workdays per planting season, investment on the machine can be claimed in two years’ time. Consequently, planting of sugarcane sprouts by using the planter prototype is up to eight times more economical when compared to manual transplanting.