Tractor-Operated Multi-Tasking Equipment for Mechanizing Multiple Operations in Sugarcane Cultivation
摘要
A prototype of tractor-operated multi-tasking equipment for mechanizing multiple operations in sugarcane cultivation was designed and developed at ICAR-Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow. A rectangular mild steel square pipe frame was designed and fabricated with provision to attach diverse attachments viz. furrower for furrow opening at 750 mm and 900 mm row spacing for the purpose of sugarcane planting and earthing-up; interculturing, herbicide spraying attachments for weeding/interculturing; fertilizer application and seeding attachment for applying fertilizer and sowing of intercrops in sugarcane plant and ratoon crop. All attachments can be used independently or in grouping depending on the operational requirement. The interculturing tines height is adjustable between 500 and 650 mm to suit varying field conditions. The prototype was field-tested in sandy loam soil both at the institute farm and at farmers’ fields. The furrow opener produced trapezoidal furrows 250 mm deep, with a top width of 320 mm and bottom width of 180 mm. Its effective field capacity was 0.28 ha h−1 with a field efficiency of 86%. During combined operations—interculturing, spraying, and fertilizer application—the equipment achieved an effective field capacity of 0.57 ha h−1 with 86.3% field efficiency. The weeding efficiency was 83.2%, the interculturing depth was 100 mm, and the herbicide spray concentration application rate was 265 L ha−1. Use of the developed equipment reduced the cost of combined operations (inter-row interculturing, intra-row weeding through herbicide spraying, and fertilizer application) from ₹7558 ha−1 to ₹2235 ha−1, achieving a 70% reduction compared to conventional methods involving tractor-operated cultivation, manual hoeing, and manual fertilizer broadcasting. Correspondingly, labour requirement decreased by 129.28 man-h ha−1 (97%).