Prof. Antanas Juostas

Presenting

Innovative straw chopper technologies for combine harvesters

Biography

I am an associate professor at the Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Safety of Vytautas Magnus University, Academy of Agriculture. Member of the 1st and 2nd cycle committee of the study program “Agricultural Mechanical Engineering”. Leading the preparation and defense of bachelor’s and master’s theses.

Research Interests: intelligent systems in Agriculture, precision Agriculture, robotics, exhaust emission, tractor dynamics, remote control systems, organic agriculture.

Keeping lectures at European universities under the Erasmus + teaching exchange program. Executor of international studies, EU and LMT support structural projects. I am member of the Lithuanian Committee for Standardization (LST) Technical Committee LST TK 35 Machine Safety and an expert on education of participants in Public Institution Rural Business and Market Development Agency. Expert at Centre for LEADER Programme and Agricultural Training Methodology , specialization in Agricuture Equipment and Technologies, (2016 currently). Vytautas Magnus University – Baltic Agro Machinery study cluster coordinator. Co-author of the textbooks “Automatic steering systems and telemetry in agriculture” and “Operation and maintenance of CLAAS combine harvesters” and the training program “Agricultural mechanization and construction”. Participated in World Congress Conferences San Antonio, Texas, USA, 2013; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 2014; Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 2015 as a participant and section leader. Attended over 60 different technical trainings and professional development courses. A co-author of more than 30 scientific articles.

Abstract

Innovative solutions and technological processes have a great influence on the quality assurance of straw

processing through choosing optimal parameters for the combine's straw chopper. The most modern

combines are equipped with automatic straw chopper control systems. These systems consist of measuring

the moisture content of the cut straw, automatically adjusting the chopper rotor speed and positioning the

counterknives and the spreading width. Automatic combine parameter control systems are also able to

estimate grain separation, cleaning losses, threshing drum, engine loads, and the height of the grain fed

into the feeder house. The aim of the study is to evaluate the chopped straw spreading uniformity on the

soil surface as combine harvester runs at different speeds.

The straw spread uniformity study has shown that most of the chopped straw, specifically 73.2% were

spread closer to the combine driving center. About 13.4% of the total amount of chopped straw was spread

farther than 4-5 m from the combine center. The uniformity of straw distribution is also greatly influenced

by the species of crops grown, the terrain and natural conditions.