Dec 29, 2009
Cotton Harvesters In Brazil Are Modified To Accommodate Short-stature Cotton Varieties
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Farmers in Brazil are quickly adopting a new method of growing cotton. The conventional method of growing cotton in Brazil is to plant the crop with a row spacing of 76 or 90 centimeters (30 or 36 inches), but with the new short-stature cotton varieties being introduced into Brazil, the row spacing has been reduced to 45 centimeters or 18 inches. The total acreage devoted to these new cotton varieties is probably less than 50,000 hectares, but it is increasing rapidly. These varieties were first planted in central Brazil last year and the farmers were very pleased with the results.
These new cotton varieties mature in 170 days as compared to 210 days for the traditional varieties. Since they are in the field for a shorter period of time and they require less insecticides treatments and thus save on production costs. Conventional cotton varieties in Brazil need to be planted before mid-January to allow enough time for the crop to mature before the onset of the dry season. The new quicker maturing cotton varieties can be planted until mid-February, which means they can be planted for the safrinha after soybeans are harvested. These new cotton varieties gives farmers an option for the safrinha instead of just planting corn. Many of the soybean fields that are now being harvested in Mato Grosso will be planted to these new cotton varieties.
As a result of the increased acreage of shorter stature cotton varieties and reduced row spacing, there is now a shortage of cotton harvesters in Brazil set up for the narrow row spacing. John Deere is the leading seller of cotton harvesters in Brazil and they are in the process of developed a combine header that can accommodate both conventional and narrow rows. These headers are manufactured in the U.S. and imported into Brazil. Local manufactures are also developing new headers for the narrow rows. Cotton acres have been declining in Brazil for several years (they are expected to increase slightly this growing season) and as a result there are a lot of idle cotton harvesters in the countryside and these are the harvesters that are being adapted to the narrow rows.
Narrow row cotton harvesters were developed in the United States a decade ago to harvest short-stature cotton varieties planted in areas where the soil fertility was low and the yields were low. These harvesters had a reduced stripping capacity and allowed in a lot of foreign material. The new headers being developed for narrow row cotton production in Brazil have a higher stripper capacity and they cut down on the foreign matter allowed in with the lint.