Key Technologies of Crop Dividers of Sugarcane Harvesters: A Review

Highlights This article focuses on crop dividers of sugarcane harvesters. Four crop dividers were briefly reviewed. The research status of crop dividers was introduced. The potential new technologies and development directions of spiral crop dividers were presented. Abstract. The crop divider is an important mechanism of a sugarcane harvester, which affects the efficiency and quality of sugarcane mechanical harvesting. This article mainly summarized the key technologies of crop dividers. Firstly, four crop dividers (spiral crop divider, finger-chain crop divider, combined crop divider, and lever crop divider) were briefly reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of different crop dividers were then summarized. The research status of crop dividers was introduced with theoretical analysis, simulation studies, and field experiments. Finally, the scientific researches and commercial machines were compared for a comprehensive review. Additionally, the potential new technologies and development directions of spiral crop dividers were presented to improve the performance and adaptability of sugarcane harvesters. This article is expected to provide a reference for the design of crop dividers. Keywords: Crop divider, Mechanical harvesting, Sugarcane, Sugarcane harvester.