Abstract: 【Objective】This study aimed to investigate overall structure， key components， and working parameters of 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester， providing reference for optimizing operation performance of the whole-stalk sugarcane harvester.【Method】A special leaf stripping channel test platform was built， and different sugarcane varie-ties were selected to carry out systematic experiments to analyze the effects of sugarcane morphology and environmental humidity on leaf stripping of 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester and determine the optimal parameter interval of leaf stripping roller rotation speed. Based on the self-designed automatic profiling mechanism， an adaptive ground cutting system was constructed， and the automatic lifting control of the cutterhead was discussed. The working performance of 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester was evaluated by field experiment.【Result】The physical morphology of sugarcane markedly affected the operation performance of the leaf stripping device. When harvesting sugarcane in upright state and bending state， the leaf stripping roller rotation speed was controlled at 600-800 r/min and 700-900 r/min respectively， which could maintain low impurity rates and loss rates， thus achieving good leaf stripping performance. Environmental humidity also affected leaf stripping performance. The leaf stripping roller rotation speed was controlled at 400-600 r/min under low humidity conditions and 800-1000 r/min under medium and high humidity conditions， which could keep low impurity rates and loss rates. Based on the optimal stubble height in the sugarcane-growing areas of Guangxi， the automatic control scheme for cutterhead lifting was set as follows: when the distance between the cutterhead and the ground was 1-3 cm， the height of the cutterhead remained unmoved； when the distance was < 1 cm， the height of cutterhead was raised； when the distance was > 3 cm， the height of cutterhead was lowered. The field experiment results showed that， for the 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester， the average impurity rate was 2.71%， the average stump breaking rate 6.34%， the average loss rate 2.98%， the qualified cane rate 94.10%， and the qualified cutting height rate 95.80%. The overall operation performance indicators of the machine met the requirements of JB/T 6275-2019 Sugarcane Combine Harvester. Compared with the conventional manual harvesting efficiency （1.0-1.5 t/d）， the average harvesting efficiency of 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester was 5.31 t/h， and the daily harvesting capacity was equivalent to the workload of about 40 workers.【Conclusion】By controlling the key working parameters of leaf stripping process of 4GL-KC98.6 whole-stalk sugarcane harvester and formulating the automatic control scheme of cutterhead lifting， the impurity rate and loss rate of sugarcane harvesting process can be effectively controlled， and the quality and efficiency of sugarcane harvesting can be improved.