Agricultural Research Management Information System

Home
Research Summary
Search
About Us
- ARMIS
- Brochure
Contact Us
Report
User Request
Data Input
Help
- Operation Manual
  - PDF
  - Video
- Program Area & Commodity
We have reached 37600 number of research entries at this moment.

- Logout

Research Detail

Home
Research
Detail

Development and Evaluation of a Push Type Manually Operated Weeder for Wet Lands

A. Rahman
Assistant Professor
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-2202.

Md. Raju Ahmed
M. S. Student
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-2202.

Jannat Yasmin
M. S. Student
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-2202.

Milufarzana
M. S. Student
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-2202.

M. A. Rabbani
Associate Professor
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh-2202

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

A push type weeder for wet land weeding was designed and developed at the workshop of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh.The weeder was made of locally available materials to reduce the cost of weeding. The weeder consists of four parts namely float, cono with blades, main frame and handle. The weight of the push type weeder was 8.61 kg. The weeder was tested at the experimental field of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery to evaluate its functional and economical parameters.The pushing force required 56.24N to operate the weeder. The weeding efficiency of weeder was found 63.41%. The average percent of breakage and the field capacity of the weeder were observed to be 5.04 and 0.012 ha/hr, respectively. The operating cost of the weeder was estimated as 2145 Tk/ha. Since the pushing force is very low, it is easy to operate, and even the woman can operate it. Furthermore, the fabrication cost of the push type weeder is reasonable.Therefore, designed push type weeder is the best in terms of cost of operation and it is more economical compared to manual weeding operation.

Keywords: Weeder, Weeding efficiency, Percent of breakage, Field capacity, Weeding cost

Location: Local market, Mymensingh district, Bangladesh.

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Farm Mechanization

Commodity: Weeder

Objectives:

To design and develop a push type manually operated weeder;
To determine the technical performance of the weeder in the rice field; and
To determine the economic performance of the weeder in the rice field.

Methodology:

Most of the parts of the weeder were designed and fabricated in the workshop of the Department of Farm Power and Machinery, Bangladesh Agricultural University. The following materials were used to fabricate a push type weeder-i. M.S. sheet (16 SWG), ii. Steel blade sheet (4'-4"× 2), iii. Steel pipe (1" & 1/2"Ø), iv. Bearing and bearing cover, v. M.S. rod (1/2"Ø) vi. M.S. bar, vii. Nuts and bolts. The proposed design of weeder consists of a main frame, a handle, a float and two cones with blades. The weeder is a hollow cylinder which has blades fixed on it in alternate arrangement. The major components of the push type weeder was- Float, Cone with blades, Main frame and Handle. It was made of M.S. sheet and the length and the width of the sheet were 310 mm and 140 mm, respectively. At first the sheet was measured by tape and scale, and then cut it in required size. After that the sheet was welded in the welding shop. Cone was made of M.S. sheet (16 SWG) and the blades were made of steel blade sheet. At first the M.S. sheet was cut in required size and shaped into a cylindrical shape. It was made of 25 mm square bar which and length was 1650 mm. The angle between the main bar and handle was 250. Handle grip was made from same square bar. The cost was calculated using database of a single year - Inflation rate were ignored in the calculation - Interest rate, i=10%Annual operating costs of machinery were divided into fixed costs and variable costs. All calculated fixed costs and variable costs were converted into Tk/ha and then summation of fixed and variable costs had given operating costs in Tk/ha. The operating was calculated as follows: Operating costs in, Tk/ha= Fixed cost + Variable cost For determining operating cost (Tk/ha) of manual operation only the number of man-days and labor rates were considered.

Source of Information: Proceedings of the 6th International Mechanical Engineering Conference & 14th Annual Paper Meet (6IMEC&14APM) 28-29 September 2012, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Based on the findings and their interpretation the following conclusions are drawn: The weight of the push type weeder was found 8.61 kg. The pushing force required for push type weeder was found 56.24N. The weeding efficiency of weeder was found 63.41%. The percent of breakage after weeding operation was found 5.04%. The field capacity of the weeder was found 0.012 ha/hr. The operating cost of the weeder was found 2145 Tk/ha. Therefore, weeder is the best in terms of cost of operation and it is more economical than manual operation. On the other hand the fabrication cost of the push type weeder is reasonable and easy to operate.

Knowledge Management: Journal