Optimization of Machine and Operational Parameters in the Development of Stubble Manager cum Crop Planter

Aims: Optimization of machine parameters (type of flail blade and number of strip-till blades per flange) and operational parameters (rotor shaft speed and forward speed) for the development of stubble manager cum crop planter for conservation agriculture.

Study Design: Split plot (3 factors); Type of flail blade/number of strip-till blades per flange as main plot and rotor shaft speed and forward speed as sub plots.

Place and Duration of Study: Dr. NTR College of Agricultural Engineering, Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh, India. Duration of the study was from August 2020 to July 2022 (24 moths).

Methodology: Developed stubble manager cum crop planter as a solution for seeding of rice fallow pulse crops under combine harvested paddy field condition. This machine consists of two consists of stubble managing unit for mulching and strip tillage operations at a time and crop planting unit for placing pulse crop seed in furrow strips opened by stubble managing unit. The stubble managing unit was optimized for mulching parameters (shredding efficiency and paddy residue size reduction) and strip tillage parameters (furrow cross sectional area, furrow backfill and mass median diameter of soil clods) through field evaluation under combine harvested paddy field condition.

Results: Interactions between machine and operational parameters were not significant on shredding efficiency. Highest paddy residue size reduction (77.33 %) up to 10 cm was observed with Y-type flail blade at rotor shaft and forward speeds 1650 rpm and 2.5 km h-1. Lowest furrow cross sectional area (20.93 cm2) and highest furrow soil backfill (23.24 %) were obtained with two numbers of strip-till blades per flange at rotor shaft and forward speed 1350 rpm and 2.0 km h-1 respectively. Interactions between machine and operational parameters were not significant on mass median diameter of soil clods.

Conclusion: Optimized parameters for the stubble managing unit of the proposed machine were Y-type flail blade, 2-numbers of strip-till blades per flange, rotor shaft speed 1500 rpm and forward speed 2.0 km h-1.