MECHANISATION IN GROUNDNUT CULTIVATION Er. K.MADHUSUDHANA REDDY Scientist (Agril. Engg.) AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH STATION ANANTAPUR

Indian Agriculture : 69 % - Rainfed : 31 % - Irrigated Dryland Mechanization Process of adoption of need based, location specific, efficient and precision tools, devices, equipment and machines matching to available power, suitable for local soil, crop and socio-economic conditions to lower the operation cost, timely operation and enhance crop production.

Total area of groundnut cultivation in Andhra Pradesh is 16 lakh ha In Anantapur District 8.5 lakh ha Most of the farmers depend up on the manual labors, animal drawn implements for sowing, inter-cultivation, harvesting, threshing Especially in dryland areas, farmers need to sow the seed before the moisture in the soil gets evaporated Also other operations need to be done with in the time to prevent damage to the crop

Now a days most of the people in rural areas are diverting into industrial sector Due to this, farmers are facing the problems of shortage of labour during important operations like sowing and harvesting Less labor demand more charge – increased cost of cultivation Delayed sowing and other operations – decrease in yields Operations by manual labour – more time

Advantages by adopting mechanization Reduced cost of cultivation Saving in time Increase in crop production area and productivity Self employment to rural youth through custom hiring

AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS IN GROUNDNUT - MACHINERY 1. Tillage -- Primary and secondary tillage implements 2. Groundnut decorticators -- Hand & power operated 3. Sowing -- Bullock drawn seed drills and planters -- Tractor drawn seed drills and planters 3. Inter cultivation -- Ananta Inter-cultivation equipment -- Boom sprayer 4. Harvesting -- Tractor operated digger, shaker and windrower and Straight & sweep type blades (diggers) 5. Threshing -- Engine and tractor PTO operated threshers (dry and fresh pod threshers)

TILLAGE MACHINERY Primary tillage implements Mould board plough Disc plough Duck foot cultivator Sub - soiler 2. Secondary tillage implements Spring tine cultivator

MOULD BOARD PLOUGH Parameter Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Suitable for Deep ploughing in black soils Working width 60 cm Depth of operation 15-25 cm Field capacity 1 – 1.5 ha/day Advantages - Complete pulverization and inversion of soil - Destroy grasses and seeds in the field - Cut the crop residues and mix them with top surface of soil - Effective in moisture conservation Cost Rs. 35,000/-

DISC PLOUGH Parameter Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Suitable for Deep ploughing Working width 60 cm Depth of operation 15-30 cm Field capacity 1 – 1.5 ha/day Advantages - Suitable in sticky & stony soils - Complete pulverization and inversion of soil - Destroy grasses and seeds in the field - Cut the crop residues and mix them with top surface of soil - Effective in moisture conservation Cost Rs. 40,000/-

DUCK FOOT CULTIVATOR Parameter Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Suitable for Deep ploughing Working width 120 cm Depth of operation 15-20 cm Field capacity 2 – 3 ha/day Cost Rs. 25,000/-

SUB - SOILER Parameter Details Power source Tractor of above 50 HP Suitable for High deep ploughing use Breaks soil crust below ploughing depth Working width 15 cm Depth of operation 45 - 60 cm Field capacity 0.5 ha/day Cost Rs. 40000/-

SPRING TINE CULTIVATOR Parameter Details Power source Tractor of above 50 HP Suitable for Shallow ploughing in stony soils Working width 220 cm Depth of operation 10 - 12 cm Field capacity 4 - 5 ha/day Use Interculture Leveling Destroy weeds Cost Rs. 27,000/-

Effect of tillage on yield of groundnut crop S.No. Treatment Depth of operation, cm Initial plant population per m2 Final plant population per m2 Yield (kg/ha) 1. Sub-soiler 31 33 1313 2. Mould board plough 22 28 27 979 3. Disc plough 19 29 958 4. Duck foot cultivator (7 tyne) 17.6 30 1063 5. (5 tyne) 19.4 1041 6. 9-tyne spring type cultivator 13.8 32 833 7. No tillage nil 24 729

SEED TO SEED MECHANISATION IN GROUNDNUT

DECORTICATING EQUIPMENT Hand operated decorticator Power operated decorticator Overall dimensions 600 X 350 X 700 Capacity 50 kg/h Efficiency 98 % Cost Rs.2500/- Power source 2 HP electric motor Capacity 250 – 300 kg/h Efficiency 95 % Cost Rs.45000/-

GROUNDNUT KERNEL GRADER Capacity of the grader 299 kg/h Cost of the unit Rs. 17,000/- Physical properties of the kernel 1. Size of the seed at first outlet 1.24 cm 2. Size of the seed at second outlet 1.06 cm 3. Size of the seed at third outlet < 1.0 cm

SEED TREATMENT DRUM Parameter Details Use Mixing of chemicals with seed as a plant protection measure before sowing Saves 33% labor and operating time Capacity 10 kg Mixing capacity 100 kg/h Mixing efficiency 95 % Cost Rs.1500/-

SOWING EQUIPMENT S.NO. NAME OF PLANTERS NAME OF SEED DRILLS 1. Ananta planter Tractor drawn local seed drill 2. Nandyala planter Bullock drawn local seed drill 3. Kisan planter cum fertilizer drill (M/S Kisan Agricultural Machinery, Rajkot, Gujarat) 4. Gujarat planter cum fertilizer drill (M/S S.L.N.S. Industries, Anantapur) 5. Ananta bullock drawn groundnut planter

ANANTA PLANTER Ananta planter Local seed drill Metering mechanism in Ananta planter (inclined plate with slots) Seed in hopper of Ananta planter

Suitable crops can be sown with Ananta planter Groundnut Castor Bengalgram Redgram

COMPARISON BETWEEN ANATAGROUNDNUT PLANTER AND LOCAL SEED DRILL Parameter Ananta groundnut planter Local seed drill No. of rows 8 Row to row spacing, cm 30 cm Width operation, m 2.4 Seed metering mechanism Inclined plate Manual drooping Field capacity, ha/h 5 - 6 5 – 6 Seed to seed spacing in a row, cm 10 cm Not maintained uniformly Recommended seed rate, kg/ha Maintained (100 kg/ha) Not maintained (130 – 150 kg/ha) No. of labor Only driver 2 women + 1 driver Cost of operation, Rs./ha 875 1250 Depth of sowing 5 cm Seed box capacity, kg 40 -- Cost, Rs. 57,000 30,000

Nandyala planter Parameters Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Row to row spacing, 30 cm Width operation 2.4 m Seed metering mechanism Horizontal plate Seed rate 110 – 120 kg/ha Cost of operation Rs.875/ha No. of labor Only driver Cost Rs.72,000/- Field capacity 5 – 6 ha/day Suitable crops Groundnut and bengalgram

KISAN PLANTER CUM FERTILIZER DRILL Parameters Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Row to row spacing, 30 cm Width operation 2.4 m Seed metering mechanism Trough feed with vertical plate Seed rate 110 – 120 kg/ha Fertilizer rate 50 kg/acre (DAP) Cost of operation Rs.875/ha No. of labor Only driver Cost Rs.60,000/- Field capacity 5 – 6 ha/day Suitable crops Groundnut

GUJARAT PLANTER CUM FERTILIZER DRILL Parameters Details Power source Tractor of above 35 HP Row to row spacing, 30 cm Width operation 2.4 m Seed metering mechanism Cup feed Seed rate 110 – 120 kg/ha Fertilizer rate 50 kg/acre (DAP) Cost of operation Rs.875/ha No. of labor Only driver Cost Rs.60,000/- Field capacity 5 – 6 ha/day Suitable crops Groundnut

ANANTA BULLOCK GRAWN GROUNDNUT PLANTER Ananta 4-row bullock drawn automatic planter 4-row bullock drawn seed drill Trough feed mechanism with vertical plate in Ananta bullock drawn planter

Ananta bullock drawn groundnut planter Bullock drawn local seed drill COMPARISON BETWEEN ANANTA BULLOCK DRAWN GROUNDNUT PLANTER AND BULLOCK DRAWN SEED DRILL Parameter Ananta bullock drawn groundnut planter Bullock drawn local seed drill No. of rows 4 Row to row spacing, cm 30 cm Width operation, m 1.2 Seed metering mechanism Trough feed (vertical plate) Manual drooping Field capacity, ha/h 1.5 - 2 Seed to seed spacing in a row, cm 10 cm Not maintained uniformly Recommended seed rate, kg/ha Maintained (100 kg/ha) Not maintained (130 – 150 kg/ha) No. of labor One man 1 man + 1 woman Cost of operation, Rs./ha 500 1000 Recommended plant population per m2 i.e 33 Maintained Not maintained Seed box capacity, kg 8 -- Cost, Rs. 10,000 4,500

Performance of groundnut seed drills for kharif 2011-12 S.No. Name of seed drill Seed rate (kg/ha) Initial plant population (per m2) Final plant population (per m2) Yield (kg/ha) Depth of sowing (cm) Field capacity (ha/day) 1. Ananta planter 102 32 27 1021 4-5 5-6 2. Nandyala planter 108 36 30 1003 3. Modified kisan planter 125 34 29 980 4. Gujarat planter 130 37 28 995 5. Tractor drawn local seed drill 134 40 26 1010 6. Bullock drawn 4-row seed drill 152 47 981 6-7 1.5-2 7. Bullock drawn 3-row seed drill 126 42 972 8. Saathi planter 120 38 984 9. Spring tyne saathi planter 116 975 10. Ananta 4-row bullock drawn planter 103 996

Ananta tractor drawn and bullock drawn groundnut planters for Rabi (row to row spacing 22.5 cm)

INTER CULTIVATION EQUIPMENT

ANANTA INTERCULTURE IMPLEMENT Ananta interculture implement with small width tyres of size 8.3”X28” Shovels used at 20 DAS Shovels used at 40 DAS

Specifications of Ananta inter culture implement Parameter Details Number of rows 8 Row to row spacing 30 cm Effective working width 2.4 m Types of shovels Sweep type, T - type Tyre size 28” X 8.3” Depth of operation 5 cm Crop damage 3 % Fuel consumption 2 – 3 liters/h Field capacity 4 – 5 ha/day Percent of weed removal 96 % Cost Rs. 40,000 including tyres

Small tractor drawn intercultivation implement for groundnut Field capacity 2.0 – 2.5 ha/day Cost Rs. 12,000/-

Bullock drawn interculture implement Bullock drawn interculture implement used at 20 DAS Field capacity 1.5 – 2 ha/day Cost Rs. 3500/- Bullock drawn interculture implement used at 40 DAS

PLANT PROTECTION EQUIPMENT

Manual and power operated knapsack sprayers Parameter Details Use Spraying of insecticides and pesticides on crops to control pests and diseases Tank capacity 10 – 14 liters Field capacity 0.5 ha/day Cost Rs.1500/- Parameter details Use Spraying of insecticides and pesticides on crops to control pests and diseases Tank capacity 10 – 14 liters + 1.5 liter for petrol or kerosene Field capacity 1.0 ha/day Cost Rs.15000/-

Power sprayers Parameter Details Use Spraying of insecticides and pesticides on crops to control pests and diseases in a large area Power source 1 – 3 HP petrol or kerosene engines Saves 60% labor and 45 – 50% cost of operation compared to manual knapsack sprayer Field capacity 1.6 – 2.4 ha/day Cost Rs. 45,000/-

TRACTOR OPERATED BOOM SPRAYER Parameter Details Use Spraying of insecticides and pesticides on crops to control pests and diseases in a larger area Power source Tractor of above 35 HP or above having PTO shaft of speed 540 RPM No. of nozzles and width of operation 20 and 12 m (covers 40 rows) Field capacity 20 – 25 ha/day Cost Rs. 70,000/-

HARVESTING MACHINERY

BLADE GUNTAKA ANGRAU blade guntaka Power source above 35 HP tractor No. of rows covered 4 Width of operation 120 cm Depth of operation 8 – 10 cm Speed of operation 2 – 3kmph Field capacity 4 – 5 ha/day Digging efficiency 98 % Initial cost Rs.25,000/- BLADE GUNTAKA

ASHA GUNTAKA ANGRAU Asha guntaka Power source above 35 HP tractor No. of rows covered 6 Width of operation 180 cm Depth of operation 8 – 10 cm Speed of operation 2 – 3kmph Field capacity 6 – 7 ha/day Digging efficiency 98 % Initial cost Rs.35,000/- ASHA GUNTAKA

GROUNDNUT DIGGER SHAKER CUM WINDROWER Three operations digging, shaking and windrowing simultaneously done Width of operation 120 cm (covers 4 rows at a time) Recommended speed of operation 2 – 3 kmph Field capacity 1 – 1.5 acres/h Cost Rs.1,80,000/-

THRESHING MACHINERY

ANGRAU Fresh pod stripper for groundnut Parameter Details Power source 2 HP electric motor Saves 40% labor, 50% operating time and 30% cost of operation compared to manual stripping Capacity 120 kg/h Stripping efficiency 100% Cleaning efficiency 98% Cost Rs. 35,000/-

FRESH POD THRESHER FOR GROUNDNUT Parameter Details Power source Tractor PTO shaft of 540 RPM Use Immediate threshing groundnut crop after harvesting Capacity 300 kg/h Threshing efficiency 96 % No. of persons required 6 Cost Rs. 1,80,000/-

DRY POD THRESHER FOR GROUNDNUT Parameter Details Power source 10 HP diesel engine Use Threshing groundnut crop after harvesting at 15 – 17 % MC Capacity 500 kg/h Threshing efficiency 95 % No. of persons required 6 Cost Rs. 1,10,000/-

RESEARCH IN PROGRESS

Aqua planter in experimental plot for sowing of groundnut

Aqua planter for groundnut Dryland sowings are often delayed due to late monsoon Recommended sowing for groundnut is in between Jun 15 to July 15 Ananta groundnut planter was modified for water application while sowing (aqua groundnut planter) Groundnut can be sown even under low moist condition of soil by using aqua groundnut planter as it supplements water while sowing. Water application rate 1600 liters per acre. Initial cost Rs.59,000/- (including water drums and pipes, valves) Field capacity 3 – 4 ha/day

Performance of Aqua planter DOS Date of receiving next rainfall Time gap, days Quantity of water applied (liters) Initial plant population per m2 Final plant population per m2 Yield (kg/ha) 14-6-2011 28-6-2011 (3.4 mm) 14 318 12 10 611 23-6-2011 5 360 231 25-6-2011 3 518 13 8 292 27-6-2011 1 502 16 306 20-7-2011 21-7-2011 (11 mm) 656 17 7 271 22-7-2011 26-7-2011 (17 mm) 4 635 15 9 462 23-7-2011 400 34 615

Planter cum herbicide sprayer for groundnut in experimental plot Weed menace is one of the serious constraints for increasing the yield The chemical weed control using herbicides is more effective and economical in initial stages of growth. Sowing of groundnut and herbicide spraying can be done simultaneously

Specifications of planter cum herbicide sprayer Power source : Tractor of 35 H.P or above having PTO speed of 540 RPM Sowing mechanism As per Ananta groundnut planter No. of nozzles on boom 4 Nozzle to nozzle spacing on boom 60 cm Effective working width of spraying 240 cm Type of pump for spraying Piston type Pump H.P 1.5 – 2 Pump speed 800 – 1200 rpm Pump operating pressure 10 – 40 kg/cm2 Application rate of herbicide 500 liters/ha Herbicide tank capacity 440 liters (2 no.s of plastic drums) Recommended speed of operation 2 – 3 km/h Field capacity 4 – 5 ha/h Initial cost 67,000/-

Yield of crop sown with planter cum herbicide sprayer S.No. Treatment Initial plant population per m2 Final plant population per m2 Yield (kg/ha) 1. With herbicide 31 24 771 2. Control 33 21 592

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