Comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of combined and segmented rapeseed harvesting operations

There are various planting methods for rapeseed in China, including manual sowing, mechanical live broadcasting, drone aerial seeding, as well as manual transplanting and mechanical transplanting. There are mainly two types of machine harvesting methods for rapeseed in China, such as combined harvesting and segmented harvesting. Based on different conditions and needs, it is necessary to reduce losses, improve quality and be efficient. It is necessary to integrate various factors and balance various relationships in practice to find the optimal plan, and propose efficient and low loss machine harvesting methods for rapeseed harvesting according to local conditions. Therefore, China Agricultural Mechanization Centre of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs organized a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of combined and segmented machine harvesting of rapeseed under different planting conditions in Ruichang, Jiangxi Province. The results showed that the impact of different planting methods on machine harvesting was reflected in the fact that mechanized seedling transplantation of rapeseed could achieve late planting and early maturity, reduce grass damage, and facilitate machine harvesting. Segmented harvesting could reduce losses by 4.6 percentage points compared to combined harvesting, resulting in a reduced loss value of 516.6 yuan/hm~2 and achieving good consistency in rapeseed maturity. Segmented harvesting increased operating costs by 248.7 yuan/hm~2 compared to combined harvesting. Based on the analysis of the results, it is proposed to increase the promotion of mechanized seedling cultivation and transplanting technology for rapeseed that is suitable for machine harvesting, take measures to accurately grasp the maturity of rapeseed to obtain the best harvesting period, and choose suitable, efficient, and low loss machine harvesting methods according to local conditions.