Performance Evaluation of Manually Operated Mulch Laying Machine on Different Soil Conditions

A machine with manual operation for mulch-laying machine with a punching arrangement was developed,and its performance was assessed at three different mulch paper thicknesses(15 m,20 m and 25 m),three different disc angles(35 degrees,40 degrees,and 45 degrees),three different punch spacings(250 mm,500 mm,and 1000 mm),and three different forward speeds(1.3 km/h,1.5 km/h,1.7 km/h)to investigate their effects on field capacity,effective field efficiency,and punching efficiency.Utilizing randomised block design and response surface methods,the experimental plan for optimization was created.All of the independent variables’combined effects on the dependent variables were found to be statistically significant.The influence of operating speed and mulch paper thickness was found to be the most significant on the dependent variable.The effective field capacity and field efficiency increased from 0.11 ha/h to 0.19 ha/h and 72.04 percent to 89.51 percent,respectively,by increasing mulch paper thickness from 15μm to 25μm and operating speed from 1.3 km/h to 1.7 km/h,whereas punching efficiency fell from 85.18 percent to 84.40 percent.Mulch paper of 15μm and a disc angle value of 40 degrees were optimised from the independent factors that were chosen for optimal soil covering over the laid plastic mulch sheet.Punching efficiency was maximised with performance optimised at 500 mm punch spacing.Additionally,the machine operated more efficiently at 1.5 km/h.

Performance evaluation of a diesel engine by using producer gas from some under-utilized biomass on dual-fuel mode of diesel cum producer gas

Producer gas through gasification of biomass can be used as an alternate fuel in rural areas due to high potential of biomass resources in India.Experiments were conducted to study the performance of a diesel engine(four stroke,single cylinder,5.25 kW) with respect to its thermal efficiency,specific fuel consumption and diesel substitution by use of diesel alone and producer gas-cum-diesel(dual fuel mode).Three types of biomass,i.e.wood chips,pigeon pea stalks and corn cobs were used for generation of producer gas.A producer gas system consisting of a downdraft gasifier,a cooling cum cleaning unit,a filtering unit and a gas air mixing device was designed,fabricated and used to power a 5.25 kW diesel engine on dual fuel mode.Performance of the engine was reported by keeping biomass moisture contents as 8%,12%,16%,and 21%,engine speed as 1 600 r/min and with variable engine loads.The average value of thermal efficiency on dual fuel mode was found slightly lower than that of diesel mode.The specific diesel consumption was found to be 60%-64% less in dual fuel mode than that in diesel mode for the same amount of energy output.The average diesel substitution of 74% was observed with wood chips followed by corn cobs(78%) and pigeon pea stalks(82%).Based on the performance studied,the producer gas may be used as a substitute or as supplementary fuel for diesel conservation,particularly for stationary engines in agricultural operations in the farm.

Using IoT Innovation and Efficiency in Agriculture Monitoring System

Agriculture is undoubtedly a leading field for livelihoods in China.As the population increases,it is necessary to increase agricultural productivity.By capturing the support and the increment in production on farms,the need for freshwater used for irrigation increases too.Presently,agriculture accounts for 80% of overall water uptake in China.Unexpected overflow of water carelessly leads to waste of water.Therefore we created a programmed plant irrigation system with Arduino that mechanically supplies water to the plants and keeps it updated by transferring the message to user.Plant irrigation system employs the soil moisture sensor which controls a degree of moisture in the soil.If the humidity degree is lower,Arduino activates a pump of water to supply water to the system.The pump of water stops by design when the organism detects sufficient moisture in the ground.Each time the system is switched off or on,an electronic messaging is conveyed to the end-user through the IoT unit,informing the position of the soil moisture and the pump of water.A spray motor and the pump of water are grounded on the crane concept.Widely,this system is applicable for in small fields,gardens farms,etc.This design is entirely programmed and needed no human involvement.Furthermore,transmission of the sensor readings send through a Thing speak frequency to produce graphic elements for better inquiry.This study gathers the ideas of IoT(Internet of Things)with some engineering tools like machinery,artificial intelligence and use of sensors in an efficient way to respond current needs and extraction of resources by availing scientific methods and procedures that work on inputs.Moreover,this study further defines the engineering works that have been part of this field,but it requires more efficiency and reduction of energy as well as costs by adding more contribution of IoT in the field of agriculture engineering.

Computer aided engineering analysis and design optimization of rotary tillage tool components

The computer aided engineering analysis and design optimization of rotary tillage tool on the basis of finite element method and simulation method is done by using CAD-software for the structural analysis.The different tillage tool parts of rotary tillage tools are geometrically constructed as a solid model.The actual field performance rating parameters along with boundary conditions are set in the software for 35 hp and 45 hp tractor.The estimated forces acting on soil-tool interface are fed into software as a loading condition.The resultant effects of loading condition on tillage blade and whole rotavator assembly were obtained from stress distribution and deformations plots.The proposed working results in identifying sufficient tolerance in changing the dimensions of rotavator frame sections and side gear box for removing the excess weight in a solid section and also to raise the weight of blade for a reliable strength.The present working model with tillage blade is analysed to new design constraints with change of its geometry for the maximum weed removal efficiency by presenting its practical results from the field performance.

Hanging force analysis for realizing low vibration of grape clusters during speedy robotic post-harvest handling

Mechanical damage induced by vibration during harvesting and post-harvest handling could decrease the quality,quantity,and shelf life of the fresh grape cluster.Usually,fresh grape clusters are harvested by gripping and cutting from the main rachis in the present robotic harvesting system,then transported towards the basket during post-harvest handling.However,serious cluster vibration and corresponding berry falling may occur during the robotic transportation of hanging grape clusters.Therefore,this study was designed to perform experimental and theoretical hanging force analysis to explore the vibration mechanism of hanging grape clusters during robotic transportation.A lead screw lathe with an attached linear actuator was used to investigate the effects of four different speeds(0.4,0.6,0.8,1.0 m/s)with four acceleration levels(6,8,10,12 m/s2)on the vibration of the hanging grape cluster.By the experiments,the peak hanging force of the grape cluster at the start,constant speed,and stop phase of the actuator was recorded using a single axis force sensor,and the cluster’s swing angle was measured with a digital camera.The experimental results showed a linear relationship between the swing angle and hanging force of the cluster at the start and stop phase of the actuator.The multi-stage cluster’s vibration during robotic transportation was observed,and the behavior of cycled damping after a sudden stop of the actuator was found.The simulated results of hanging force of grape cluster in damping phase were agreed with experimental results with R2 more than 0.90 at an optimum acceleration of 10 m/s2.To conclude,this research provides theoretical basics for understanding the complex vibration mechanism of the hanging cluster fruits during speedy robotic transportation operations with low-loss of berry drop both on industrial and farm levels.

Air flow characteristics of an air-assisted sprayer through horizontal crop canopy

Artificially induced air currents or air-assistance to droplet spectrum produced by hydraulic nozzles not only facilitate in transporting and depositing the droplets in different parts of canopy but also reduce the application rate of chemicals.The air streams increase the velocity of smaller droplets so that extra momentum would increase impaction and improve penetration into the crop as well as mitigating the influence of wind on drift.It is necessary to quantify the airflow characteristics.But,control of climatic and other conditions in the field is very difficult.Thus,airflow characteristics study was done under controlled conditions on a horizontal simulated crop canopy.Based on this study,an airflow distribution model was developed and airflow characteristics for vegetable crops,namely,eggplant,chilli and bittergourd were predicted.The differences between predicted and actual field study values were not statistically significant.Kinetic energy of air stream dissipated with its movement from top to bottom of the canopy.The rate of kinetic energy dissipation was higher in denser canopies.Higher air velocity 15 m/s was the best as it produced maximum turbulence throughout the canopy.

Variable rate fertilizer application technology for nutrient management:A review

The efficient and effective application of fertilizers to crops is a major challenge.Conventionally,constant rate or equal dose of fertilizer is applied to each plant.Constant rate fertilizer application across entire field can result in over or under incorporation of nutrients.Fertilizer application is influenced by soil parameters as well as geographical variation in the field.The nutrient management depends on selection of nutrient,application rate and placement of nutrient at the optimal distance from the crop and soil depth.Variable rate technology(VRT)is an input application technology that allows for the application of inputs at a certain rate,time,and place based on soil properties and spatial variation in the field or plants.There are two approaches for implementing VRT,one is sensor based and another is map based.The sensor based approach;with suitable sensors,measures the soil and crop characteristics on-the-go calculating the amount of nutrients required per unit area/plant and micro controlling unit which uses suitable algorithms for controlling the flow of fertilizer with required amount of nutrient.In map based approach;Grid sampling and soil analysis are used to create a prescription map.According to the soil and crop conditions,the microcontroller regulates the desired application rate.The sensor-based VRT system includes a fertilizer tank,sensors,GPS,microcontroller,actuators,and other components,whereas the map-based system does not require an on-the-go sensor.Both approaches of VRT for fertilizer application in orchards and field crops are reviewed in this paper.The use of this advance technology surely increases the fertilizer use efficiency;improve crop yield and profitability with reduced environment impacts.

Downwash airflow distribution pattern of hexa-copter unmanned aerial vehicles

In recent times,the use of vertical take-off and landing(VTOL)multi-rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAVs)for spraying chemical pesticides against weeds and pests has recently become popular.The current aerial spray application research is primarily focused on examining the influence of UAV spraying parameters such as flight height,travel speed,rotor configuration,droplet size,payload and wind velocity.The downwash airflow velocity generated by the UAV rotor propeller has a significant impact on the droplet deposition process.A test rig was developed to measure the downwash airflow pattern generated by the rotor propeller of a UAV.In this investigation,a six-rotor electric autonomous UAV sprayer was used to investigate the parameters and distribution laws of downwash airflow velocity.The downwash airflow velocity was measured using portable anemometers mounted on the test rig at radial positions viz.,0 m,0.5 m,1 m,1.5 m and 2 m,perpendicular to(X)and parallel to the UAV’s flight direction(Y).The experiment was conducted at three levels of hover height,viz.,1 m,2 m and 3 m(Z)and three levels of payload,viz.,0 kg,5 kg,and 10 kg.The special downwash airflow distribution pattern was analysed using the Python programming language(Version 3.7).Results show that the downwash airflow velocity generated by the radial position of the UAV rotor is evenly distributed on the rotating loop and the standard deviation of the downwash airflow velocity is less than 0.5 m/s.The maximum downwash airflow velocity of 13.8 m/s was observed below the rotor at 10 kg payload capacity,1 m hover height(Z),and 0.5 m in the X-direction.The minimum downwash wind field of 0.3 m/s was observed at 0 kg pay load capacity,1 m height,and 2 m in the X-direction.The downwash airflow velocity along each position in the radial direction of the rotor increases initially and then decreases.This downwash airflow distribution results helps in mounting of spray nozzle configuration to drone sprayer which helps to understanding spray liquid distribution and other spray operational parameters.The influence of downwash airflow distribution combined with the spray operational parameters of the UAV sprayer viz.,flight height,travel speed,rotor configuration,payload and wind velocity on spray volume distribution was studied.A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of UAV sprayer downwash airflow distribution on spray droplet deposition characteristics in a rice crop compared with manual knapsack sprayer.