Determination of using profile of cotton harvestingmachines in söke plain

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the usage profile of cotton harvesting machines used in Söke plain. Metarial and Methods: The research was conducted in two phases. In the first stage, the owners and operators of two different brands of cotton harvesting machines used intensively in the Söke plain were surveyed on machine functionality, use, maintenance, etc. In the second stage, quantitative and qualitative harvesting performances of two different brands of cotton harvesters were determined. Studies on yield and natural casting losses were carried out in trial plots. The harvesting losses and the effectiveness of the machines (PHM1 and PHM2) were calculated in the random trial plots. The harvested sample bulk cottons were then subjected to fibre quality analysis. Results: The questionnaires were evaluated to reveal the usage profile of those who use the machines. According to the results of the yield study, the PHM1 machine left 0.29% of the mass on the plant and spilled 1.45% of the mass on the ground, while the PHM2 machine left 0.70% of the mass on the plant and spilled 1.05% of the mass on the ground. The results were subjected to analysis of variance and it was found that the differences between the results of the two machines were significant at p<0.01 level of significance. The effective work performance of the machines was determined as 1.61 ha/h for PHM1 and 1.73 ha/h for PHM2. The qualitative harvest performance results of the machines were subjected to independent sample T-test and it was found that the difference in trash area in lift (TrAr) ratio (%) was significant at p<0.05 level of significance. Conclusion: As a result of the studies, the usage profiles of the machines were revealed and determined separately. However, there were also overlapping findings between the different studies. While it is determined that the harvesting performance of the machines is above the standards, the superiority and weaknesses of the machines compared to each other are seen. The results of different studies showed that PHM1 harvested cotton with little residual loss but with some trash and the difference in trash area-percent (TrAr) ratio in the fiber was significant in fiber quality analysis. It is believed that the weaknesses of these machines can be overcome through improvements, enabling high-quality cotton harvesting with minimal loss of profit in cotton farming