Experiment on Harvesting Force for Mechanical Harvesting of Lower Tobacco Leaves

Abstract: In order to investigate the causes of tobacco leaf damage in mechanical harvesting and reduce leaf breakage, an experiment on Zhongyan100 was carried out with a universal testing machine and self-made clamps. The acting direction and acting position of harvesting force on immature and mature tobacco leaves were tested, and their relations to the crack and damage of stalk and leaf were analyzed. The results showed that for mature leaves, there was a linear relationship between the cross-sectional area and the harvesting force needed. The stalk-leaf joint was an anisotropic connection, which was more obvious in the instance of immature tobacco leaves. The connection strength between stalk and mature leaf was lower than that between stalk and immature leaf by about 29%, the joint was relatively weaker, and it was the right time for mechanical harvesting to reduce leaf breakage. Exerting an inclined force on leaf within a distance of 50 to 60 mm from the joint would be preferable to break the leaf off the stalk.