ABSTRACT
Harvesting and ginning costs can be minimized by limiting the amount and type of foreign matter in stripper harvested cotton. Grades can be adversely affected by excessive bark due to high stick contents of seed cotton. Narrow bats have been shown to reduce stick content of bur cotton and the incidence of barky grades. This study investigated the use of brushes and rubber bats in 6 configurations at 2 harvest dates. A stripper roll configuration featuring 3-brush bats and 3 regular brushes was the most effective arrangement for leaving foreign matter in the field early in the season. Later in the season, however, 3-narrow bats plus 3-brushes and a configuration featuring 6-brushes were the most effective ones when the plant was dry and brittle. Barky grades were high for all configurations for the first harvest date. Fewer barky grades occurred at the second harvest date where either the combination of 3-narrow bats and 3brushes or the 6-brushes were the most effective configurations.
|