Mechanised harvesting of sugar cane in the superhumid zone of Mauritius

Manual selective harvest followed by mechanised loading from the field edge is the normal practice in the super humid zone (>2500 mm of mean annual rainfall) of Mauritius. However, due to the increase in labour cost, harvest should be mechanised in this climatic zone to allow production to be competitive in the global arena. Three trials were laid down to compare manual selective harvesting with stubble shaving and mechanised harvesting with the objective of verifying if, over and above the effect of stubble shaving, mechanisation would further reduce yield and affect ratooning. Measurements included stalk height and number of shoots at monthly intervals as well as yield. Results have shown only an adverse effect of stubble shaving. Mechanised harvesting had no further effect provided that trash is cleared from the rows after harvest. Soil bulk density measured in two trials increased mainly at 10 cm depth in the interrows after harvest, without adversely affecting yield. Trafficability problems in humid soil conditions have been solved with the use of low-pressure lyres.