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Open Access
Development and Evaluation of an Engine Operated Paddy Drum Seeder
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2023-03) Chaudhary, Divakar; Sharma, Sushil
The physical and engineering properties of dry, soaked and pre germinated paddy (Basmati-370) seed were studied. On the basis of these properties and agronomical considerations an engine operated paddy drum seeder was designed and developed. The prototype comprised of 6 drums in which three drums are in front for fertilizer application and three drums are in the rear for seed application. The mechanism of machine is such that the furrow opener in front of machine will open furrow for placement of fertilizer and seed at proper depth and a leveler attached behind the machine shall cover the seed and fertilizer with soil. The developed prototype was evaluated in laboratory for three forward speeds, three type of seeds and three drum fill levels. The prototype was further evaluated in the field in terms of number of seeds per hill, number of hills per metre square, hill missing index (%), number of tillers per metre square, number of effective tillers per metre square, effective field capacity (ha.h-1), field efficiency (%), fuel consumption (l.h-1), seed rate (kg/ha) and yield (kg/ha) for three forward speeds (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 kmh-1), three drum fill levels (quarter, half and full) and three types of seed (dry, soaked and pre germinated). The study, in general, indicated that the all the physical and engineering properties i.e. equivalent diameter, aspect ratio, volume, surface area, terminal velocity, bulk density, sphericity, coefficient of friction and angle of repose, increased with the increase in moisture content however the porosity and true density decreased with the increase in moisture content. The performance parameters such as number of seeds/hill, number of tillers/m2, yield (kg/ha) and seed rate (kg/ha) ranged from 1.0 to 7.3, 503.60 to 562.00, 2362.00 to 3539.00 kg/ha and 23.00 to 37.50 kg/ha for all treatments, respectively. The results indicated that field efficiency (%) and fuel consumption (l.h-1) increased with the increase in forward speed and drum fill level. However, number of seeds per hill decreased with the increase in forward speed, drum fill level and type of seed. There is a significant effect of forward speed, drum fill level and type of seed on seed rate and number of effective tillers/m2 however, type of seed has shown no significant effect on yield of paddy. Moreover, planting with drum seeder resulted in reduction in crop duration from 140-150 in traditional transplanting to 125-130 days. The economic analysis revealed that a net profit of ₹ 19,500 was recorded for developed prototype with less water usage i.e. only 5 to 6 number of irrigation in total crop period as compared to 10-12 irrigation in traditional transplanting method. Breakeven point of 117 h/yr and benefit cost ratio of 1.3:1 was found for the developed prototype as compared to the traditional transplanting. It is recommended to use the developed prototype with half drum fill level with soaked type of seeds at a forward speed of 2.0 km/h for optimum results.
Open Access
Development and Evaluation of Vegetable Transplanter for Small Land Holdings
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-05) Ankit; Khar, Sanjay
A prototype of a two-row tractor mounted vegetable transplanter for transplanting plug type seedlings was developed based on the biometric engineering properties of the vegetable seedlings.The prototype was evaluated in the field for transplanting 25 days (D1), 32 days (D2), and 40 days (D3) seedling age tomato and brinjal seedlings for square and round cell types (C1=square and C2=round), feeding mechanisms (M1=multi-chamber rotating disc, M2=horizontal dragging magazine, and M3=direct-hand feeding) and press wheel angle (A1=5°, A2=10°, and A3=15°). The performance parameters such as effective field capacity, field efficiency, transplanting efficiency, laying down plants, upright plants, plant missing, plant mortality and energy expenditure rate for the transplanting of tomato seedlings ranged from 0.0463 to 0.0485 ha•h-1, 82.66 to 86.74, 76.27 to 88.08, 7.06 to 10.06, 89.93 to 92.94, 4.55 to 7.33, 7.06 to 10.18% and 4.07 to 13.75 kJ•min-1, while for brinjal seedlings these parameters varied from0.0422 to 0.0452 ha•h-1, 75.33 to 80.69, 77.66 to 88.19, 6.02 to 8.56, 91.43 to 94.21, 4.86 to 7.87, 7.25 to 10.30% and 3.88 to 12.08 kJ•min-1,respectively.The optimaltreatment for the tomato crop was at cell type C2; feeding mechanism M1; press wheel angle A2 and seedling age D2, while for the brinjal crop, the optimumtreatment was at cell type C1; feeding mechanism M1; press wheel angle A2 and seedling age D3. The labour cost per ha of the transplanting operation for the tomato and brinjal seedlings with thedeveloped transplanter was found to be ₹ 2869 and ₹ 2954, respectively, whereas for hand transplanting it was ₹ 4865 per ha. The developed prototype saved 41.02 and 39.28% in operation labour costs per ha for tomato and brinjal crops, respectively. The total savings per hawith the developed prototype of vegetable transplanterin labour and energy expenditure rate for the tomato and brinjalseedling was 77.05 and 76.38%; 86.45 and 86.74%, respectively.
Open Access
Studies of Infiltration Rate in Kandi Area of Jammu Region
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-10) Khan, Salik Ahmad; Dadhich, Sushmita M.
The study was conducted to assess the infiltration rates in the three locations viz KVK-Samba, SKUAST Jammu (L1), ACRA-Dhiansar, SKUAST Jammu (L2) and Jagti, Nagrota (IIT Jammu) (L3) from November 2021 to April 2022. In each of the location, three land conditions i.e. cultivable (C1), uncultivable (C2) and fallow land (C3) were selected to determine the infiltration capacity of the various land cover conditions. The constant infiltration rates were observed in the aforementioned land conditions for studying the temporal and spatial variability with the help of a double ring infiltrometer (consisting of 30 cm inner ring and 60 cm outer ring) and a 4.5 cm mini disk infiltrometer. In addition to infiltration measurements, various physico-chemical properties such as soil moisture, bulk density, soil texture and organic carbon were determined. Further, modelling of infiltration rates was done and the observed infiltration values as well as the predicted values from models were plotted to find out the best suitable model for the three locations. Validation of four models was done using performance evaluation parameters (coefficient of determination and root mean square error) to select the most suitable infiltration model in each location. The constant infiltration rates using the double ring and mini disk infiltrometer were found to be maximum and observed to be 21.33 and 27.75 mm/h respectively in the cultivable land condition (C1) of ACRA-Dhiansar (L2). Increase in the infiltration rates calculated using the mini disk were observed to be 28.96, 33.84 and 21.86 % in the cultivable, uncultivable and fallow land respectively. The average values of R2 for Horton, Kostiakov, Philip and Green Ampt model were found to be 0.91, 0.98, 0.97 and 0.94 respectively with the corresponding RMSE values as 3.71, 4.55, 1.59 and 30.45 respectively. The Philip model was observed to best fit with the high values of coefficient of determination and least standard error in all the three locations.
Open Access
Development and Evaluation of Portable Motorised Maize Sheller
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-10) Dug, Musaver Gulzar; Singh, J.P.
A maize shelling machine was fabricated and developed, which comprised a frame, hopper, shelling cylinder and a longitudinal shaft alongwith threshing chains. The three openings were made in the machine for entering the unshelled cobs, grain outlet and shelled cobs outlet. A sieve is placed downward for separating grains out of its cobs. The machine is operated by an electric motor, in conjunction with different belts and pullies of different sizes. The developed maize sheller was then evaluated by changing with varied rotational shelling speeds of 350, 530 and 720 rpm and different machine feeding rates of 5, 7.5 and 10 kg. The performance parameters like shelling rate (kg/h), shelling efficiency (%), unshelled grain (%), grain damage (%) and power requirement (kW) were calculated for each combination and data was compared statistically for standardization of combination in order to get maximum whole grain output, minimum grain damage with high shelling efficiency. The shelling rate (kg/h), shelling efficiency (%) and grain damage (%) increased with increase in the shelling speed for all the treatment combinations under study. It was observed that the shelling rate increased with increase in the quantity of feed while as shelling efficiency and grain damage decreased with increase in the quantity of feed. The optimum results obtained during the evaluation of the machine with grain damage of less than 1.5%, germination count of more than 80%, shelling rate of 915.49 kg/h and higher threshing efficiency (99%) was obtained at treatment combination of N2F3(N2 =530 rpm, F3 = 10 kg feeding quantity).
Open Access
Ergonomic Evaluation of a Wheel Operated Boom Sprayer
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-10) Ahad, Kounsar; Khar, Sanjay
The present study was undertaken to perform the ergonomic evaluation of the developed wheel operated boom sprayer in the Division of Agricultural Engineering, SKUAST-J, Chatha. The sprayer was evaluated for three independent parameters i,e. subjects (S1, S2, S3), nozzle type (T1 = flat fan, T2 = hollow cone, T3 = flood jet) and number of nozzles (N1 = carrying two nozzles, N2 = carrying three nozzles, N3 = carrying four nozzles). The various performance parameters determined during the evaluation included heart rate, oxygen consumption rate, energy expenditure rate, cardiac cost of work, physiological cost of work and assessment of the body discomfort. It was concluded from the results, that the heart rate, oxygen consumption, energy expenditure, ODR and BPDS of the selected subjects ranged from 80-115 beats/min, 0.23-0.63 l/min, 4.00-9.56 kJ/min, 0-2.67 and 0-19 respectively. The operators felt pain in shoulder, left thigh and in hands after operating the sprayer. In order to overcome these limitations, an extra wheel was attached to the rear end of the sprayer in line with the front wheel to compensate for the load carried on the arms of the operator. After the modification of the sprayer, the machine was again evaluated for the same performance parameters by following the same procedure as done before modification to assess the effect of the modification done on the sprayer. After modification of the sprayer, it was found that the heart rate oxygen consumption and energy expenditure of the selected subjects ranged from 84-111 beats/min, 0.27-0.74 l/min and 4.63-11.20 kJ/min respectively. The response from all the subjects depicted that there was no overall discomfort and no body part experienced pain in operating the modified sprayer.
Open Access
Linear programming approach for vegetable production through water harvesting tank in jammu district
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-09) Rashid, Safiya; Srivastava, R.K.
Soil and water are the two most important resourcesfor agriculture particularly in rainfed areas of the hilly region. The productivity ofcrops largely dependsupon timely availability of water during the crop growth period. The present study was undertaken to optimize the agricultural resources of vegetable growing farmers using available water of the polytanks. Linear programming modelswere developed with objective functions of maximization of area under irrigation, maximization of production and maximization of net-benefitfor five selected farmers of the villages of rainfed area namely Godhan, Gargal and Kandi of tehsilAkhnoor of Jammu district. The rainfall and evaporation data of fifteen years(2007-2021) were analyzed on the weekly, monthly and annualbasis. The average annual rainfall and evaporation for a study period was found 1190.22 mm and1530.12 mm respectively. The excess and deficit analysis showed that the surplus water was available only during the 1st to 6th and 27th to 36th weeks. The crop water requirements of different crops were calculated using pan evaporation method.The rabi and summer season crops had almost equal water requirements and irrigation requirements, while the kharif season crops had different water requirements and irrigation requirements. The linear programming model was developed to optimizethe area under irrigation,production and net-benefit by considering different constraintslike area constraints, labour constraints, water availability constraints, affinity constraints and economy constraints for selected farmers. It was found that the area under irrigation was increased by 51% to 80%, production was increased by 48% to 65% and net benefit was increased by 38 to 51% for all selected farmers. Sensitivity analysis was carried out by varying availability of water levels by 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%.The results for sensitivity analysis revealed thatarea under irrigation was further increased by 39% to 79%, production was increased by 40% to 56% and net-benefit was increased by 36% to 58% for all selected farmers.
Open Access
Development and Evaluation of Self-propelled Potato Digger for Small land holdings
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-07) Singh Parihar, Neeraj; Sharma, Sushil
A study was carried out to develop and evaluate a self-propelled potato digger for small land holding farmers. The prototype comprised of a digging and a separating unit. These units were attached with each other by a main frame using nut bolts and welding. The prototype derived its power from a diesel engine (6.71 kW). The developed prototype was evaluated for three forward speeds (2, 2.5 and 3 kmh-1), three rake angles (20, 23 and 260) and three vibrating frequencies (900, 1200 and 1500 rpm) for its performance in terms of digging efficiency (%), digging depth (mm), separating index (%), damage percentage (%), fuel consumption (lh-1), required power (kW), field capacity (hah-1) and field efficiency (%). The study, in general, indicated that the digging efficiency increased with increase in rake angle and decreased with increase in forward speed and vibrating frequency. Whereas, the fuel consumption and power requirement increased with increase in rake angle, forward speed and vibrating frequency. The study further indicated that the separating index mainly depended on vibrating frequency whereas the digging depth largely depended on rake angle. The digging efficiency, digging depth, damage percentage and effective field capacity for the developed prototype ranged from 89.95 to 95.37 percent, 152.60 to 188.71 mm, 3.24 to 7.03 percent and 0.039 to 0.058 hah-1 respectively for all treatment combinations under study. The maximum digging efficiency (95.37 %)and minimum damage percentage (3.24 %) was achieved while digging with a rake angle of 260 at a speed of 2 kmh-1and a vibrating frequency of 900 rpm. The developed potato digger resulted in a time saving of 93.67 percent and a net saving of ₹11,386.50 per hectare in comparison to traditional method.
Open Access
Response of Soil and Water Conservation Technologies on Soil Moisture Dynamics in Rainfed Area of Jammu District
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2022-01) Ahmad Khan, Zubair; Srivastava, R.K.
The study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of various conservation technologies for conservation of soil moisture at different depths and distances from soil and water conservation measures in the village Kandi. Village under study is located in dry land area of mountaineous eco-system in Akhnoor tehsil of Jammu district. The conservation technologies adopted during the study were; Contour bund cum trench (T1), Contour bund (T2), Contour trench (T3) and Control plot (T4). Soil sample were taken for moisture estimation from the all conservation measures at three depths D1 (0-15 cm), D2 (15 -30 cm) and D3 (30 – 45 cm) each at three distances from the conservation measures L1 (1 m), L2 (2 m) and L3 (3 m) on fortnightly basis during the growth period of wheat crop from October 2020- April 2021. In addition, bulk density analysis and infiltration rate was also recorded at three instants i.e. before rainfall, after rainfall and at the time of harvest of crop. Moisture distribution pattern w.r.t. depth and distance from each conservation measures was evaluated. Impact of enhanced moisture regime within the soil mass was recorded on crop productivity of wheat. The moisture content was found maximum in T1 in all months of crop growth period with the maximum value i.e. 11.52 % in the month of December. T4showed lowest moisture content in all months and least with the value of 3.37% during the 3rd week of November. The moisture content showed increasing trend before the rainfall and decreasing trend after the rainfall with respect to lower depths for all treatments. Increasing trend of moisture content was found w.r.t. distance from the conservation measures in T1 , T3, T2 w.r.t. T4. The infiltration rate and bulk density was higher before the rainfall and lower after the rainfall. The crop productivity was found with a value of 20.5, 18.7, 16.5 and 14.3 q/ha in T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. The crop productivity was found higher in the T¬1 by 43.35%, 30.76% for the treatment T3, 15.38% for the treatment T2 in comparison to T4.
Open Access
Development and Evaluation of a Manual Paddy Weeder Suitable for Jammu Region
(Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, 2021-12) Kumar, Sachin; Sharma, Sushil
A manual paddy weeder suitable for Basmati – 370 was developed and evaluated at Research farm SKUAST-J Chatha Jammu during Kharif 2020 for studying its performance in close spaced crop. The effect of different Diameter of rotor (D1 =120 mm, D2 =140 mm and D3 = 160 mm), Height of blades (H1 = 30 mm, H2 = 35 mm and H3 = 40 mm) and Distance between rotors (L1 =250, L2 = 300 and L3 = 350 mm) were studied on weeding efficiency, soil volume disturbed, plant damage, field capacity, field efficiency, frequency of clogging, performance index and cost of weeding. The performance was evaluated in paddy crop after 20 DAT, the treatment combination of different diameter of rotor (140 mm), height of blades(35 mm) and distance between rotors (300 mm) result in maximum weeding efficiency (85.92 %), field capacity (0.0098 hah-1 ), field efficiency (80.18 %) and performance index (2131.08) with minimum frequency of clogging (0.33) and plant damage (1.67 %). Similarly, the speed of operation was also found maximum i.e. 0.333 ms-1. The operating cost of developed prototype was found to be 4306.45 ha-1. Weeding efficiency (%), performance index, field capacity (hah-1), field efficiency (%) decreased when the height of blades, distance between rotors and diameter of rotor increased or decreased from 35 mm, 300 mm and 140 mm respectively. Whereas plant damage and frequency of clogging increased when the height of blades, distance between rotors and diameter of rotor increased or decreased from 35 mm, 300 mm and 140 mm respectively.

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