Browsing by Author "Robotham, BG"

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Developing a framework for advancing road transportation of sugarcane : SRDC final report SD98013
(BSES, 1998) Robotham, BG; Norris, CP
An objective of this project was to initiate a research program for the road transportation of sugarcane. Future research projects will be undertaken with the knowledge and cooperation of key parties and therefore have realistic and achievable goals. This project has encouraged communication between road regulators, manufacturers of haulout equipment, suppliers of tyres and suspension systems, users of haulout equipment, researchers and cane growers and thus created a cooperative environment for future research in this area. In addition to the initially specified objectives, this project has addressed the current issue of legislation not adequately covering the newer types of haulouts and the non-conformity of many haulouts to current regulations.
Final report - SRDC project BS145S : Improving sett/soil contact to enhance sugarcane establishment
(2000) Robotham, BG
This project had three objectives that were achieved in the following order: quantify the crop establishment practices of canegrowers within the major regions of Queensland and New South Wales; quantify the improvement in crop establishment achieved through the use of selected presswheel types and soil firming forces on the most common soil types. Provide machinery manufacturers and growers with recommendations on use of presswheels; and investigate the suitability of planting aids, such as finger harrows and in-furrow presswheels, for use on soils that exhibit surface crusting, cloddiness, etc.
Harvest and transport considerations for whole-crop harvesting in the condong mill area
(2013) Norris, CP; Robotham, BG; Tudroszen, NJ
Improving planting systems for sugarcane : SRDC Final report BSS208
(2004) Robotham, BG; Croft, BJ
This project has researched the major factors affecting the establishment of a sugarcane crop. Adoption of a systems approach has resulted in an improved planting system that matches the requirements of the growing of seed cane, production of high-quality billets and meters and places the billets at rates to ensure optimum crop yields.It was initially realised that the supply of high-quality seed billets was critical to ensure an improvement in the planting system of sugarcane. Developing recommendations for growers to produce the high-quality, disease-free seed sugarcane suitable for planting billets was an essential requirement. Many cane treatments and additives were trialled, but many effective treatments were found not to be cost effective. However, many tasks were identified that growers can undertake to ensure sound and erect planting cane. The machine cutting of plants has previously been a major deficiency as mechanised harvesters were not developed to cut high quality, low damage billets. This project has quantified the requirements of a seed billet-cutting harvester and machine modifications were field tested. Sound recommendations for growing planting cane and cutting this cane to produce sound billets have been developed and extended to the industry. The development of recommendations for high-quality seed billets is a major success of this project.The project has successfully undertaken the first detailed review of the requirements and current operational performance of current billet planters. An improved billet-metering system, the first truly precision metering of billets, was developed as a replacement from the crude mass-flow metering systems of various form used by the sugarcane industry. Planter characteristics, such as billet drop height, have been addressed, as has matching the billet meter to minimum-soil-disturbance planter components.One critical operational requirement that this precision billet-metering system had to fulfil was to be compatible with the planting characteristics of the double-disc groundtool developed by BSES. This goal was achieved, and a prototype billet planter produced that incorporated the double-disc opener and the precision billet-metering system. This system allows planting rates to be halved compared to the rates of current billet planters, but the use of high-quality seed billets is an essential requirement of this new system. The developed metering system is a radical departure from the elevating slat-type meters current used on all billet planters and commercialisation of this planting system must be carefully planned.When proposed, a significant outcome of this project was to investigate and develop technologies to protect planting billets by coatings that would prevent the ingress of rotting diseases and slow desiccation of the billet. Much knowledge has been acquired and future studies are suggested, but current technology is not considered suitable for commercial usage.Adoption of all the technologies developed within this project will take time, but industry awareness of the need for change is high. The adoption process is well advanced, although adoption varies between canegrowing regions. Due to the current state of the sugarcane industry, adoption will occur in a series of steps, but this is considered appropriate, as growers can learn as they adopt new components of the system. Certain components of the system must be adopted prior to others. For example, the production of high-quality planting billets is an essential requirement, but is applicable to all growers irrespective of what type of planter they use.This project clearly illustrates the value of a multi-discipline team adopting a systems approach to a major sugarcane industry problem.
Production of an automated cane billet sampler for research trials : SRDC final report BSS156
(2000) Robotham, BG
Sugarcane breeding and research programs currently rely on hand-cut sound whole-stalk samples for determination of commercial cane sugar (CCS) and other quality components. These samples of sugarcane are free from extraneous material and inferior quality cane and, hence, a biased sample of the material is harvested for milling from experimental plots (Skinner, 1976). The whole-stalk samples must be obtained while mechanised equipment operates in the plots. Research staff are exposed to the risk of injury from harvesters and cane haulout vehicles. The BSES annual Plant breeding program exceeds 250 individual trials along the Queensland coast. Billet samples are more compatible with current harvesting systems and this sampling method is more useful in predicting responses of commercial cane varieties to agronomic treatments. Collecting cane samples as billets is also more compatible with current harvesting systems. Dr T McRae initiated this need for an automated sugarcane billet sampler in 1994, and funding was obtained to determine design parameters for this machine. (McRae et al., 1998). An objective of this project was to build and field-test an automated sugarcane billet sampler. This project continues the work of BS118S, which quantified the need for a billet sampler in sugarcane research trials.
Sugar yield decline joint venture, phase 2 : SRDC Final report
(2006) Garside, AL; Bell, MJ; Pankhurst, CE; Stirling, GR; Magarey, RC; Blair, BL; Moody, PJ; Robotham, BG; Braunack, MV; Agnew, JA
Research in phase 2 has greatly increased our understanding of how farming systems operate, the key components of farming systems, and how they can be manipulated to provide better outcomes.
Upgrading load and speed limits for cane transport vehicles : SRDC final project report SD01004
(BSES, 2001) Robotham, BG; Norris, CP; Geddes, RG
The primary objective of this project was to reduce costs associated with the haulout of cane by facilitating the continued development of haulout equipment, appropriate to the needs of the industry. This was achieved by: