Design and Fabrication of a Tractor- Drawn Multi-Crop Planter
Bedasa Waldaho1, Gutu Getahun2
1Bedasa Waldaho, Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Fedis Agricultural Research Center P.O. Box 904, Harar, Ethiopia.
2Gutu Getahun, Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Fedis Agricultural Research Center P.O. Box 904, Harar, Ethiopia.
Manuscript received on 01 May 2024 | Revised Manuscript received on 12 May 2024 | Manuscript Accepted on 15 May 2024 | Manuscript published on 30 June 2024. | PP: 7-18 | Volume-4 Issue-1 May 2024 | Retrieval Number: 100.1/ijae.E449113050624 | DOI: 10.54105/ijae.E4491.04010524
Open Access | Ethics and Policies | Cite | Zenodo | OJS | Indexing and Abstracting
© The Authors. Published by Lattice Science Publication (LSP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: The study was undertaken to design, fabricate multi-crop planter capable of planting maize, common bean and sorghum seeds at predetermined spacing and depths. Physical properties of seeds involved in the study were investigated to optimize the design of the planter’s components. The planter, consists of a frame, seed hopper, seed metering devices, seed tube, adjustable furrow opener, adjustable furrow covering device, and drive wheels. The investigation revealed that the sphericity of maize, common bean and sorghum were 64.8, 72.4 and 81%, respectively. Percentages of mechanically seed damaged by the planter were zero for each crops. Germination test was conducted to assess the magnitude and extent of invisible seed damage inflicted by the planter indicated mean percentage seed germination of 98.5, 94.5 and 97.3% for maize, common bean, and sorghum, respectively. The reduction in percentage germination of maize, common bean and sorghum were zero, when compared with that did not passes through the machine for all the seeds tested. Based on the above results, it is concluded that the planter can be efficiently and effectively used by the majority of the farmers and other stakeholders in the study area.
Keywords: Planter, Multi-Crop, Capacity, Efficiency
Scope of the Article: Agriculture Technology