EVALUATION OF A CROP PROCESSOR IN A PULL-TYPE FORAGE HARVESTER

Two Steel corrugated rolls turning at differential speeds were integra ted in an experimental pull-type forage harvester for crop processing. With a 12.7 mm theoretical length-of-cut setting, the processing roll s were used to treat alfalfa at a I mm clearance between the rolls. Pr ocessing required 30% more total harvest energy (5.6 vs 4.3 kW.Wt dry matter). Processing corn at a 4.5 mm clearance required 7% more energy (3.7 vs 3.5 kW.h/t DM). Mean par-tide length was reduced by 13% in al falfa and 15% in corn after processing. About 38% of the corn kernels were pulverized tin particles smaller than 2 mm) by the processor; the remaining kernels were more broken than kernels in non-processed corn . Samples of alfalfa and corn were immediately frozen after harvest (i .e., non fermented), subsequently thawed and incubated in the rumen of fistulated cows to measure the rate of degradation. Processing increa sed the rapidly degradable dry matter fraction of alfalfa but did not affect the overall, effective degradability. Processing increased the effective degradability of corn dry matter by 3%.