Vol. 14 No. 1
Design and development of single row power weeder for rice
Author(s): A. SIRMOUR AND A. VERMA
Abstract: Weed control is one of the most difficult tasks on an agricultural farm. Weeding by mechanical devices reduces the cost of labour and also saves time. In order to assess the possibility of mechanization of the weeding operation, a power operated single row active weeder are designed and developed in the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, IGKV, Raipur. From the design point of view- power source (engine), cutting blades shaft were the important components of single row power weeder for rice. Average working speed of operation was found as 2.45 km hr-1. The average fuel consumption of power weeder was found as 0.55 l hr- 1. The maximum field capacity was found 0.054 ha hr-1. The working width of the developed machine may be adjustable between 140 mm to 250 mm. The weeding efficiency was observed as 88.62 per cent under single row active power weeder. The saving in cost of weeding was 60 per cent and saving in time was 65 per cent compared to manual weeding.