Construction features of potato harvesters and their influence on damage to potato tubers during harvesting

The article is devoted to the analysis of the design features of potato harvesting machines and their influence on the quality of potatoes during mechanized harvesting. Harvesting and processing potatoes can cause physical damage to the tubers and cause economic losses to producers. Damaged tubers increase the risk of diseases and crop loss during storage, increase labour costs for sorting, and reduce the quality and value of stored tubers. The design features of potato harvesters and their influence on the quality of the obtained crop are analysed. An algorithm for determining the critical points of potato damage when passing through a combine is proposed. It was established that parameters such as the soil moisture, ambient temperature, and potato variety have less influence on damage to potato tubers. It was established that the percentage of injury to potatoes largely depends on the settings of the potato harvester and the speed of the harvester. A comparison of potato harvesters GRIMME SE 150-60 and AVR Esprit showed that non-compliance with technological settings increases damage to potato tubers by up to 27%. Increasing the speed of the unit above the specified standards increases the percentage of injuries from 7 to 11%. After correction for the reduction of the rotation speed of the rollers and technical clearances, the injury rate decreased from 16% to 11% under the same conditions. Reducing the speed of the unit to the established standards minimizes the percentage of damage. In general, any potato harvester, with the correct technological settings and compliance with all requirements, can ensure the process of harvesting potatoes with minimal losses.