PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TWO ROW SEMI-AUTOMATIC VEGETABLE TRANSPLANTER
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Date
2010
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Birsa Agricultural University, Kanke, Ranchi, Jharkhand
Abstract
Globally, the role of vegetable crops has been well recognized in solving the
problem of food and nutritional security. In addition to meeting the local demand,
vegetables are now being considered as potential commodities, for internal and
external markets. In India, estimated area under vegetables is around 7.8 M ha and
production is about 125.9 million tones and average productivity of vegetable crops is
low 15.1 t/ha ([GOI], 2008). A wide gap exits between the yields obtained and the
potential yield owing to poor adoption of improved techniques and it has always
been considered as a major handicap in increasing the productivity of vegetable
crops.
In India, cultivation of vegetables crops is in general labour intensive.
Moreover transplanting of vegetable seedling after raising seedling in nurseries is
done manually across the country as no machine is commercially available for this
work. However transplanting by means of transplanter would not only improve the
productivity and timeliness but also quite helpful in minimizing the expenditure
incurred on labour.
With a view to know performance of vegetable transplanter, the experiment
was carried out at Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi during kharif season 2010, on
three vegetable crops namely, Brinjal (Swarna Shree), Tomato (Cherry) and Chilli
(KA- 2) in Randomized Block Design. The treatment consisted of two level of field
condition (Flat bed and Raised bed) and two level of method of sowing (Manual and
Machine).
The mean values of speed of operation and theoretical field capacity were 0.9
km/h and 0.135 ha/h while actual field capacity ranged in between 0.0926-
0.1016ha/h. Similarly field efficiency was in the range of 68.35 % (Tomato) to 75.26%
(Brinjal).
A maximum of 80% labour saving was calculated in almost all crops while cost
of saving in transplanting was obtained between 2.26 % chilli to 4.21% tomato. In
treatment M2S2, missing hills percentage was high but minimum sapling mortality
and maximum plant survival percentage were recorded under the same treatment
combination in the range 6.10 (brinjal) to 7.15 (Tomto) and 84.55 (Tomto) to 88.70
(Brinjal) respectively in different crops.
Similarly the growth and fruiting parameters particularly plant height, number
of branches, fruits per plant and yield per plant were remarkably influenced by M2S2
treatment combination.
Thus it may be undoubtedly brought out that two row semi automatic
vegetable transplanter is found suitable for vegetable transplanting, as it not only
save the duration of transplanting along with minimal mortality but also reduce the
expenditure incurred on labour and other cultural practices during transplanting.
Also it may be safely concluded that transplanter performance was satisfactory,
however it was also found that transplanter performance was better in raised bed
over flat bed.
Description
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TWO ROW SEMI-AUTOMATIC VEGETABLE TRANSPLANTER
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