Measuring pre-harvest grain losses

Harvesting header pick-up losses are a factor that cannot be disregarded when harvesting threshing crops, particularly under difficult harvesting conditions with recumbent cereals or threshing crops with infructescence close to the surface of the soil. Because these losses can be much higher than combine harvester losses, it is necessary to adjust the harvesting header to minimize losses. So far, pick-up losses have only been assessed visually or measured in trials with a great deal of effort. In normal use, even when using header adjustment technologies, the operator is not provided with any information regarding the correct setting of the harvesting header.

With the Geringhoff Yield EyeQ scanner, pre-harvest losses are also recorded, i.e. the grains and infructescence that are lying on the ground prior to the harvesting process. If the operator changes the settings on the harvesting header by optimizing the reel position for grain that falls out easily, for instance, the change in grain losses is displayed to him. The mapped pre-harvest and pick-up losses can additionally be used as a basis for crop production decisions. The degree of use between the grown and the actual grain yield can be calculated, particularly in the case of critical crops such as legumes.

Yield EyeQ provides the operator with decision-making support regarding the effect of adjustment optimizations on the harvesting header during the harvesting process for the first time. Yield EyeQ also establishes the basis for further applications, up to and including the development of action recommendations for optimizing the settings on harvesting headers.