INDUSTRIAL.

CROPS
AND PRODUCTS
AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
ELSEVIER Industrial Crops and Products 3 (1995) 281-284
Mechanical harvesting and cleaning of Calendula oflcinalis and
Dimorphotheca pluvialis
H.G. Breemhaar *, A. Bouman
I nstitute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (I MAG-DLO), I ?O. Box 43, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
Received 7 March 1994; accepted 26 January 1995
Abstract
From 1990 to 1994 the research institutes of the Agricultural Research Department in the Netherlands (DLO-NL)
investigated potential new arable oilseed crops for industrial application as part of the National Oilseeds Programme
(NOP). The Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (IMAG-DLO) studied the mechanical har-
vesting and cleaning of Crambe abyssinica, Dimotphotheca pluvialis, Calendula oficinalis and Euphorbia lagascae.
This paper describes the research conducted on the crops Calendula oficinalis and Dimorphotheca pluvialis, using
three harvesting methods: combining (New Holland 8070), combining after chemical desiccation and combining
after windrowing. Gross yield, moisture content of harvested seeds and foliage, seed losses and impurities of the
seeds were measured. It was found that both crops could best be harvested with a combine harvester after chemical
desiccation. Timely harvest seemed to be important to avoid weather damage and excessive seed shedding. Calendula
seeds were cleaned using an air-screen cleaner, Dimotphotheca seeds using an air-screen cleaner, a brushing machine
and an indented cylinder separator.
Keywords: Oilseed crops; Calendula oficinalis; Dimotphotheca pluvialis; Harvesting; Combining; Combine harvester;
Chemical desiccation; Windrowing; Seed cleaning
1. Introduction
The launching of the National Oilseeds Pro-
gramme (NOP) in the Netherlands in 1990
marked an intensification of the research on po-
tential new arable oilseed crops for industrial ap-
plications. In this programme, research institutes
studied the entire chain of crop production, from
plant breeding to the utilization and marketing
of the oils. This paper presents the results of re-
search conducted on methods for mechanical har-
vesting and seed cleaning of Calendula oficinalis
and Dimorphothecapluvialis carried out from 1990
to 1993 (Breemhaar and Bouman, 1993, 1994).
The crops were cultivated with conventional farm
equipment normally used for cereals or pulses, to
improve the efficiency of existing farm machinery
and to avoid the need for any additional invest-
ment in equipment.
Indeterminate growth of Calendula produces
an undesirably long maturation period. Each Cal-
endula flower produces three different seed forms;
vermiculate seeds, cymbiform seeds and rostrate
seeds. The oil content of the seed is 14-20%.
The major fatty acid of the oil is calendula acid,
* Corresponding author.
accounting for 5561% of the oil fraction. The
0926- 6690/ 95/ $09. 50 Q 1995 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
SSDI 0926-6690(95)00012-7
282 H.G. Breemhaaq A. Bouman I I ndustrial Crops and Products 3 (1995) 281-284
potential applications of this type of oil are paint
and varnish additives (van Soest and de Bie, 1991;
Derksen et al., 1993; Mulder, 1994).
Dimorphotheca not only showed indeterminate
growth; seed dehiscence was a great problem too.
Harvested Dimorphotheca is a mixture of two seed
forms (rods and wings) and impurities. The oil
content of the seed is 18-25%. The major fatty
acid of the oil is dimorphecolic acid, accounting
for 60-65% of the oil fraction. The oil is a suitable
additive for paint, varnish, lubricants, synthetic
materials and cosmetics (van Soest and de Bie,
1991; Derksen et al., 1993; Mulder, 1994).
2. Materials and methods
Calendula and Dimorphotheca were grown on
plots of about 0.5 ha on clay soils. Seeds were
sown by a pneumatic seed driller (Vicon) at a rate
of 6 kg/ha for Calendula (mixture of seed types)
and 8 kg/ha for Dimorphotheca (rods). The inter-
row distance was 25 cm. Emergence was about
12 days after sowing. No weedicides were applied,
instead, weeds were controlled mechanically with
rear-mounted tractor inter-row cultivation imple-
ments until the crop closed and thereafter were
controlled manually. During flowering, both crops
were sprayed against aphids (Pirimor) and botrytis
(Ronilan) .
In the first year of research, four harvest-
ing methods were screened: combining; combin-
ing after chemical desiccation; combining after
windrowing; and stripping with a stripper header.
It soon became clear that stripping was a very
unsuitable technique because of very high seed
losses. Therefore, in 1992 and 1993 more detailed
trials were conducted on the combine harvester
techniques.
Culendulu was windrowed with a self-propelled
windrower. The windrows lay on 20 cm high
stubble, which allowed more air movement and
hence promoted drying. The combine harvester
was equipped with a normal cutter-bar table. It
was not absolutely necessary to mount a draper
type pick-up on the combine. Calendula and Di-
morphotheca were desiccated by spraying with Re-
glone (diquat) at 3 l/ha. These pre-harvest treat-
ments were carried out when the foliage of both
crops was still fully green and when about 50% of
Calendula seeds and 25% of Dimorphotheca seeds
were mature. At that time Calendula showed no
seed dehiscence but Dimorphotheca had already
started shedding seed.
After a field had been harvested the gross yield
was determined. Samples were taken to determine
the moisture content of the seeds and the percent-
age of impurities. Foliage samples were also taken,
to determine the moisture content.
To ascertain seed losses caused by combining
(mechanical seed losses), a cloth was placed un-
derneath the combine harvester, to collect the
seeds from the sieves and straw walkers.
The yield and loss samples were dried to 12%
moisture. Calendulu seeds were cleaned on an
air-screen cleaner and Dimorphotheca seeds were
cleaned using an air-screen cleaner, an indented
cylinder separator and a brushing machine.
3. Results
3.1. Calendula (Table 1)
Harvesting Culendula with a combine harvester
was not very satisfactory. The 81% moisture con-
tent of the foliage was too high for direct heading,
consequently the grain conveyors of the machine
became clogged. The moisture content and per-
centage of impurities of the harvested seeds were
high (respectively 67% and 38%). The results ob-
tained after windrowing were much better, but
windrowing caused heavy seed losses.
The best results were obtained when the crop
was desiccated and harvested with a combine har-
vester after 7-10 days. The seed dehiscence was
low and the foliage was dry enough to harvest
with a combine harvester. If the interval be-
tween the pre-harvest treatments and harvest was
too long, for example because of rainy weather,
the windrowed and desiccated plants started to
regrow, and subsequently moisture content in-
creased. The seeds were cleaned several times
on an air-screen cleaner. The number of repeti-
tions depended on the purity required. The total
content of impurities of the harvested product af-
ter desiccation was about 37%. Total removal of
impurities was not necessary because the oil of
lhble 1
H.G. Breemhaar; A. Bouman / I ndusttial Crops and Products 3 (1995) 281-284
283
Results of mechanical harvesting and cleaning of Calendula officinalis in 1993
Combining Combining after Combining after
windrowing desiccation
Gross weight (kg/ha) 8148 2281 2617
Moisture content (%) seeds a 67 24 28
foliage 81 48 47
Impurities b (%) 38 40 37
Net weight b (kg/ha) 2273 1204 1385
Mech. seed losses b (kg/ha) 175 7 10
a Uncleaned.
b At 12% moisture content.
Calendula is obtained by extraction of the seeds
(Mulder et al., 1993). Impurities consisted of pul-
verised plant material, sand and dust particles.
After air-screening twice, 3 1% of the original sam-
ple had been removed as impurities, the remaining
fraction of impurities was about 6%.
3.2. Dimorphotheca (Table 2)
Combining and combining after windrowing did
not seem to be successful methods for Dimor-
photheca either. The moisture content of the fo-
liage was too high for direct heading. The windrow
was too compact and therefore did not dry quickly
enough. No further attention was given to these
methods, because combining was almost impossi-
ble.
The only remaining harvesting method suitable
for Dimorphotheca was combining after chemical
desiccation. The period between desiccation and
Table 2
Results of mechanical harvesting and cleaning of Dimor-
photheca pluvialis in 1993
Combining Combining after
desiccation
Gross weight (kg/ha) 3037 2111
Moisture content (%)
seeds a 54 12
foliage 79 15
Impurities b (%) 76 79
Net weight b (kg/ha) 423 443
Mech. seed losses b (kg/ha) 27 11
a Uncleaned.
b At 12% moisture content.
combining was about 4-7 days. Seed dehiscence
occurred at an earlier stage and more severely in
Dimorphotheca than in Calendula, especially when
the crop was desiccated. Seeds were cleaned using
an air-screen cleaner, a brushing machine and an
indented cylinder separator. The total percentage
of impurities in the harvested seeds after desicca-
tion was about 80%. About 78% of the original
sample was removed as impurities; the fraction of
impurities remaining in the rod fraction was about
2% of the original sample. After separation on
the indented cylinder the wing fraction was com-
pletely cleaned. Total removal of impurities was
not necessary because the oil of Dimorphotheca
is obtained by extraction of the seeds (Mulder et
al., 1993). Most of the impurities consisted of pul-
verised plant material, flower heads, sand and dust
particles.
4. Conclusions
For satisfactory harvesting results it seemed
to be very important that crops were kept free
from weeds and that harvest was started timely.
The best harvesting results were obtained when
Calendula and Dimorphotheca were chemically
desiccated, at an early stage of maturing, be-
fore combining. Seed dehiscence, especially in
Dimorphotheca, was severe when harvest had to
be delayed (e.g. because of bad weather). Com-
bining after windrowing was a good alternative for
harvesting Calendula, but the yield was lower com-
pared to combining after desiccation, because of
larger mechanical seed losses. Regrowth of mown
or desiccated Calendula plants caused moisture
284 H.G. Breemhaar; A. Bouman I I ndustrial Crops and Products 3 (1995) 281-284
content to increase. The seeds of both crops could
be cleaned satisfactorily with simple techniques.
References
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