Digital terrain modelling and farm planning for mechanical harvest of sugar cane in Mauritius
| MSI99P2045 | |
| Seeruttun, S. | |
| Cranfield University, Silsoe College, Silsoe, GB | |
| Digital terrain modelling and farm planning for mechanical harvest of sugar cane in Mauritius | |
| Thesis, MSc | |
| Thesis | |
| 1995 | |
| 47 p., 4 tbls, 14 figs, 2 appen. | |
| En | |
| En | |
| The mechanisation of sugar cane harvest has necessitated Farm Planning to enable the harvesters to perform efficiently. Farm Planning includes fields layout (length and orientation of cane rows), grading of land including cut and fill, designing and situating waterways and other soil conservation measures. The optimum requirements of the machines were identified to be smooth fields with a maximum slope of 12 per cent and cane rows of 200m long. Soil conservation measures and land improvement works (cut and fill) have to be considered when field slopes are between 12 per cent to 18 per cent. An approach to Farm Planning for mechanical harvest has been proposed. Digital Terrain Modelling (DTM) and related computer-based technologies such as Geographic Information System (GIS), Electromagnetic Distance Measurement (EDM) and Global Positioning System (GPS) were reviewed and their potential discussed. A case study was undertaken with data for a Section of a Sugar Estate in Mauritius to assess the applicability of DTM. The case study demonstrated that DTMs together with CAD facilities, were able to categorise slopes, identify drainage lines and watershed boundaries, estimate area of subcatchments for the design of waterways, recommend soil conservation measures, calculate soil work required to smoothen slopes, and draw new plan or field layout. A new layout of the fields which can be harvested mechanically was designed and the Field Machine Index (FMI) was increased by 40 per cent. DTM, together with CAD facilities, seems to be more appropriate for Farm Planning than GIS. The use of EDM and GPS for surveying and data collection can improve the accuracy of DTMs. The study recommends the use of DTM for Farm Planning for mechanical harvest of sugar cane in Mauritius. | |
| SUGARCANE FARM PLANNING MECHANICAL HARVESTING DIGITAL TERRAIN MODELLING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS GIS ELECTROMAGNETIC DISTANCE MEASUREMENT GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS GPS MECHANIZATION | |
| MAURITIUS | |
| Sugarcane: Cultural operations | |
| Mechanization | |
| 1995-12-04 | |
| En | |
| LIB | |
| CAT | |
| 1 | |
| COWA |