Fig. 5 shows the range of the researched parameters corresponding
to the five collection machines. The average capacity of straw
collection was 1.77 (±0.62)t h−1. The highest capacity was obtained
from the gathering machine, followed by the baler pulled by a tractor.
This could be explained by the fact that the gathering machine
only collects loose rice straw and can thus move continuously without
needing to stop to unload bales like other balers do. The baler
pulled by a tractor has a higher baling capacity because itleaves the
bales in the field, whereas self-propelled balers do the added work
of taking the bales to the side of the field. The self-propelled baler,
having the lowest capacity of 0.87 t h−1, can cover about 10 rounds
of labor (8 for gathering and 2 for handling). In addition to that,